Mexican scientists are warning that a new variant BW.1 is rapidly spreading in Mexico and will soon cross over to the US & Canada because of the lack of border health screenings. This was first identified late July 2022 but has currently become the dominant strain and accounts for 75% of the weekly sequenced genomes.
BW.1 (BA.5.6.2.1) strain, is an Omicron subvariant descending from the BA.5.6.2 lineage. It contains mutations that are similar to the BQ.1 variant and aid in immune escape. BQ.1 is one of the most rapidly transmitting lineages and contains several mutations, such as S:K444T, S:L452R, S:N460K, and S:F486V.
Two synonymous substitutions of BW.1 were traced back to Mexican sequences of BA.5.6.2 genomes. Only two mutations were detected that differentiated Mexican BA.5.6.2 from Omicron strains found in the rest of the world. The nucleotide transition, T7666C, which was present in 2,458 sequences worldwide and 82.48% of all BA.5.6.2 sequences, was absent in Mexican BA.5.6.2 genomes including BW.1.
Analysis of Mexican genomic sequences revealed that BA.5.6.2 and BW.1 sequences shared the synonymous substitution C14599T, which was present in only 4% of BA.5.6.2 sequences across the rest of the world.
The majority of genomic sequences of BW.1 were dissimilar to the parental BA.5.6.2 by two-point mutations. The presence of nucleotide transition G2144A and transversion T22942G were observed in 98.09% and 92.38% of the BW.1 genome, respectively. Notably, the parental BA.5.6.2 group did not contain the T22942G mutation, which was first detected in BW.1 strain sequenced in Mexico in early August.
Although the BW.1 variant descended from Omicron lineage BA.5.6, its genome shares a common evolutionary history with BQ.x variants. This is because both BW.1 and BQ.x descended from the BA.5 lineage.
Both of these subvariants inherited more than 54 mutations, including S:L452R, which is associated with increased infectivity, conferring spike stability, and promoting viral fusogenicity. They also contain the S:F486V mutation, which is associated with reduced efficacy of multiple monoclonal antibodies.
The majority of those infected reported only mild symptoms. But the aged, immunocompromised, obese and those with existing comorbidities are said to be a bit hard hit by BW.1
BW.1 (BA.5.6.2.1) strain, is an Omicron subvariant descending from the BA.5.6.2 lineage. It contains mutations that are similar to the BQ.1 variant and aid in immune escape. BQ.1 is one of the most rapidly transmitting lineages and contains several mutations, such as S:K444T, S:L452R, S:N460K, and S:F486V.
Two synonymous substitutions of BW.1 were traced back to Mexican sequences of BA.5.6.2 genomes. Only two mutations were detected that differentiated Mexican BA.5.6.2 from Omicron strains found in the rest of the world. The nucleotide transition, T7666C, which was present in 2,458 sequences worldwide and 82.48% of all BA.5.6.2 sequences, was absent in Mexican BA.5.6.2 genomes including BW.1.
Analysis of Mexican genomic sequences revealed that BA.5.6.2 and BW.1 sequences shared the synonymous substitution C14599T, which was present in only 4% of BA.5.6.2 sequences across the rest of the world.
The majority of genomic sequences of BW.1 were dissimilar to the parental BA.5.6.2 by two-point mutations. The presence of nucleotide transition G2144A and transversion T22942G were observed in 98.09% and 92.38% of the BW.1 genome, respectively. Notably, the parental BA.5.6.2 group did not contain the T22942G mutation, which was first detected in BW.1 strain sequenced in Mexico in early August.
Although the BW.1 variant descended from Omicron lineage BA.5.6, its genome shares a common evolutionary history with BQ.x variants. This is because both BW.1 and BQ.x descended from the BA.5 lineage.
Both of these subvariants inherited more than 54 mutations, including S:L452R, which is associated with increased infectivity, conferring spike stability, and promoting viral fusogenicity. They also contain the S:F486V mutation, which is associated with reduced efficacy of multiple monoclonal antibodies.
The majority of those infected reported only mild symptoms. But the aged, immunocompromised, obese and those with existing comorbidities are said to be a bit hard hit by BW.1
