A SARS-CoV-2 progenitor and pedigree (IMAGE)
Caption
The progenitor (proCoV2) virus and its initial descendants arose in China, based on the earliest mutations of proCoV2 and their locations, which were traced back to occur 6-8 weeks prior to the Wuhan China outbreak. Furthermore, the science team also demonstrated that a population of strains with at least three mutational differences (alpha 1-3) from proCoV2 existed at the time of the first detection of COVID-19 cases in China. The current major variants of interest including the UK (B.1.1.1.7), South African (B.1.351), South American (P.1) and now, Indian (B.1.617) are shown within the pedigree. These variants have not only come to replace prior dominant strains in their respective regions, but still threaten world health due to their potential to escape today's vaccines and therapeutics.
Credit
Sudhir Kumar, Temple University
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