Two Bengaluru labs among 17 new ones to help with genome sequencing
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They are Indian Institute of Science and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
Amid rising considerations over mutations and a surge in COVID-19 instances, the Centre has added 17 extra nationwide labs, together with two from Bengaluru, to the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG) community. This is to ramp up genome sequencing of the virus and help perceive the unfold of new variants within the nation.
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have been added alongside with 15 different labs from throughout the nation.
V. Ravi, nodal officer for genomic affirmation of SARS-CoV-2 in Karnataka, stated that with this, INSACOG now has a complete of 27 labs.
INSACOG is a consortium of laboratories that screens samples from States and worldwide travellers to perceive the unfold and mutations of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Till now, it had solely 10 nationwide laboratories together with NIMHANS and NCBS/in-STEM in Bengaluru as a part of its community.
So far, 933 samples have been sequenced in Karnataka, of which 774 are from Bengaluru Urban. “We found 52 lineages circulating in Karnataka in the samples collected from September 5, 2020, till May 9, 2021. Last year, we had detected 34 lineages and some of them are among this year’s 52 lineages,” Dr. Ravi stated.
(*17*) out that the B.1.617.2 lineage has been present in 150 of the 933 samples, Dr. Ravi asserted that this lineage is spreading very quick in Karnataka. “This lineage will rule the roost for another four months here. Of the total 359 cases detected to have been infected with the new lineages in Karnataka, 11.5% are assigned to B.1.1.7 (UK lineage), 0.6% to B.1.351 (South African) and 10% to B.1.617, more popularly known as double mutant. The double mutant has two groups – B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 – and the latter group is spreading at a rapid pace contributing over 16% of the total new lineages in Bengaluru,” he stated.
This lineage is slowly taking on and changing different circulating strains in lots of the southern states together with Karnataka prior to now 4 weeks. It is among the major causes for the continuing surge in Karnataka, he asserted.
“When a virus is widely circulating in a population and causing many infections, the likelihood of the virus mutating increases. The more opportunities a virus has to spread, the more it replicates – and the more opportunities it has to undergo change. Immunological pressure mounted following vaccination (antibodies) also results in mutations in a virus,” he added.
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