Overview of immunological & virological factors driving the evolution & global spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Indian J Med Res 2023;
158:257-268. [PMID:
37815068 PMCID:
PMC10720969 DOI:
10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_2591_22]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2, a highly infectious positive strand RNA virus first identified in December 2019, has produced multiple genetic variants that have rapidly and sequentially spread worldwide during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Genetic changes in SARS-CoV-2 for greater infectivity, replication and transmission were selected during the early stages of the pandemic. More recently, after widespread infection and vaccination, SARS-CoV-2 variants that evade antigen-specific adaptive immunity, have begun to be selected. This article provides an overview of the molecular immunological and virological factors underlying the origin and global spread of important SARS-CoV-2 variant lineages.
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