PIROLA VARIANT
WHY IN NEWS ?
- An article published in the Yale Medicine Review on August 31 has noted the rise of Covid-19 infections in multiple countries, driven by a new Coronavirus variant called BA.2.86, which is informally being termed ‘Pirola’.
MORE ABOUT THE NEWS :
- The report says it has “more than 30 mutations to its spike protein compared to XBB.1.5, a variant of Omicron that had been the dominant strain in the United States.
- The spike protein is how the coronavirus enters human cells.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported only 21 cases of Pirola globally till August end.
ABOUT PIROLA VARIANT :
- Pirola or BA2.86 is one of the lineages of Omicron variant of Covid-19 virus.
- It is currently in the WHO list of ‘variants under monitoring’.
- The cases of Pirola are in countries like Isreal, Denmark and US predominantly. The strain is quite virulent but the symptoms are mild.
- There are more than 30 spike protein mutations that differ it from XBB 1.5 variant of Omicron. This gives it the capacity to be immune evasive and highly transmissible.
- Pirola’s multiple mutations make it “radically different in its structure” compared to earlier coronavirus variants.
SYLLABUS: PRELIMS, CURRENT AFFAIRS
