At the genome center of Jessore University of Science and Technology (JUST), a new subvariant BA.4 / 5 of omicron type of the coronavirus has been identified in the bodies of two Bangladeshis. A team of researchers at the Genome Center on Tuesday identified the new corona subtype through a partial (spike protein) genome sequence of the virus collected from two infected people in Jessore.
According to the research team, the two victims were men. One of them is 44 years old and the other is 79 years old. One infected person received a booster dose of the corona vaccine and the other took two doses of the vaccine. One of the victims is being treated at the hospital and the other is being treated at home. The victims have various mild symptoms including fever, sore throat, cold and cough. Researchers believe that both of them have been infected locally.
The research team also found that mutations similar to omicron in spike proteins were observed in the BA.4 / 5 subvariant. However, this subvariant also has mutations in amino acid number 452 of the spike protein like the delta variant. This subvariant also contains mutations in another important amino acid number 486 of the spike protein. These two subvariants of Omicron were first identified in South Africa in January and February. The subvariant was spotted in southern India in late May. Scientists believe that this phenomenon is responsible for the fifth wave of corona infection in South Africa and more recently the third wave of corona in India. People who have been vaccinated are also being infected by this subvariant. Scientists believe that in the coming days, this subvariet may cause more infections than other subvariants currently infected.
About the identification of this new subvariant of corona, the vice chancellor and director of the Genome Center, Professor Dr. Md. Anwar Hossain said, this subvariant is able to easily evade the human immune system. There is no substitute for strict adherence to coronal hygiene, including the use of masks. He said that it would be possible to know more about this subject by sequencing the complete genome soon and the work of identifying this subvariant would continue at the Genome Center. Earlier, local infections of Delta and Omicron variants of Corona virus were also detected at the Genome Center.
To identify this new subvariant, apart from the team leader and Chairman of the Department of Microbiology and Associate Director of the Genome Center Professor Dr. Iqbal Kabir Zahid, the other members of the research team are- Chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering Dr. Hasan Md. Al-Imran; Chairman of the Department of Nutrition and Food Technology, Prof. Shirin Nigar; Associate Professor of Microbiology Dr. Tanvir Islam and Dr. Selina Akhter; Assistant Professor of Microbiology Dr. Abhinu Kibria Islam, Shovon Lal Sarkar, ASM Rubaiyatul Alam and Md. Sajid Hasan; and the Genome Center Research Assistant Prashant Kumar Das, Russel Parvez and others.
