Coronavirus can boost its fitness using genetic recombination, finds study

A recent study published in BioRxiv has found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, can boost its fitness using genetic recombination, which is a process in which genetic material of different species of coronavirus is exchanged to produce a new genetic variant of the virus. According to the study, the researchers used phylogenetic tracking, one of the most effective and fastest ways to track the variants of the virus, and revealed that in future more variants of the virus will be discovered at a faster rate. However, it is worth mentioning that the study is not yet reviewed by other scientists which means it cannot be regarded as conclusive.   

But the study paves the way ahead in phylogenetic tracking of the virus variations, something which was called for by a group of scientists in a paper published in Nature in March 2021. According to the research, alongside other mutations, recombination has been prevalent in the history of the evolution of RNA based viruses. The scientists then also showed how recombination rates across the genome of the human seasonal coronaviruses vary with rates of adaptation.

“This suggests that recombination could be beneficial to the fitness of human seasonal coronaviruses. Additionally, this work sets the stage for Bayesian phylogenetic tracking of the spread and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in the future, even as recombinant viruses become prevalent,” the research read. 

Over 65K variants detected across the globe

The recent study comes amid a time when a large number of variants have been detected all over the world. According to several reports, over 24,000 mutations of more than 7,600 variants were detected in India alone. More than 65,000 variants of the virus had also been detected all over the world as of February 2020. 

Now, the plausible rise of  SARS-CoV-2 recombinants in the future will increase the need for methods that perform phylogenetic and phylodynamic inferences in the presence of recombination. Finally, the applicability of recombination models will open the door for the more pervasive use of models for studying the spread of pathogens. Moreover, the increased rate of discovery can also help the nations to manage their vaccine strategy as the new variants can affect the efficacy of vaccines. 

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