Inokuthi ivele njani i-Omicron ye-COVID-19?

Enye yezinto ezingaqhelekanga kunye neyona nto ibangela umdla ye-avily modified Micron Umahluko kukuba ifumene zonke iinguqulelo kwisithuba esinye ngexesha elifutshane kakhulu. Iqondo lotshintsho likhulu kangangokuba abanye abantu bacinga ukuba inokuba luhlobo olutsha lomntu intsholongwane ye-Corona (SARS-CoV-3 ?). Inokuba yenzeke njani inqanaba eliphezulu kangako leenguqu kwixesha nje elifutshane? Abanye bayayiphikisa loo nto Micron inokuba yavela kwisigulana esicinezelekileyo esinosulelo olungapheliyo olufana ne-HIV/AIDS. Okanye, inokuba yavela kumaza akhoyo ngoku iYurophu eye yabona amazinga osulelo aphezulu kakhulu? Okanye, ngaba inokunxulunyaniswa nophando oluthile lwe-Gain-of function (GoF) okanye nayiphi na enye into? Ngubani ozuzayo? Akunakwenzeka ukwenza isigqibo kweli nqanaba. Nangona kunjalo, eli nqaku lizama ukuphosa ukukhanya kwimilinganiselo eyahlukeneyo ehambelana nesiganeko.  

Kutsha nje kuxelwe uhlobo olutsha lwe-COVID-19 oluvela eMzantsi Afrika ngomhla wama-25^th NgoNovemba ka-2021 uye wanwenwela kumazwe amaninzi ehlabathini angala UK, Canada, Japan, Australia, Austria, Hongkong, Israel, Spain, Belgium, Denmark kunye nePortugal. Oku kuchongwe njengotshintsho olutsha lwenkxalabo (VOC) yi-WHO kwaye yathiywa Micron. I-Omicron iphawulwa ngotshintsho lwama-amino acid angama-30, ukucinywa okuncinci okuthathu kunye nokufakwa okuncinci kwiprotein ye-spike xa kuthelekiswa nentsholongwane yokuqala.¹. Nangona kunjalo, ngokusekelwe kumazinga okuguqula² yeentsholongwane ze-RNA, akunakwenzeka ukuphuhlisa i-30 kunye neenguqu zenguqu ngobusuku obunye. Kuyakuthatha ubuncinci iinyanga ezi-3 ukuya kwezi-5 ukuvelisa iinguqulelo ezi-6 kwi-30kb genome ye-SARS-CoV-2 ngokusekwe kwisantya soguqulo intsholongwane eyehla ngokwendalo.² ekugqithiseni ukusuka kumamkeli ukuya kumamkeli. Xa sihamba ngolu balo bekufanele ukuba kuthathe iinyanga ezili-15 ukuya kwezingama-25 kwinto enje Micron ukuvela, ukuthwala 30 utshintsho. Nangona kunjalo, ihlabathi alikaluboni olu tshintsho lukhula ngokuthe ngcembe kwixesha elixeliweyo. Kuxoxiwa ukuba lo mahluko wavela kusulelo olungapheliyo lwesigulane esine-immunocompromised, mhlawumbi isigulana se-HIV / AIDS esinganyangwanga. Ngokusekwe kwinqanaba lotshintsho, kufanele ukuba ihlelwe kakuhle njengohlobo olutsha lwentsholongwane (SARS-CoV-3 inokuba). Nangona kunjalo, inani lotshintsho olukhoyo lunokuba lubonisa ukudluliselwa kwayo okuphezulu kunezinye iinguqulelo. Nangona kunjalo, uphando oluninzi luyafuneka ukuqinisekisa oku. 

Iiveki ezimbalwa ezizayo zibalulekile ukumisela ukugqithisela kolunye uhlobo olutsha kunye nobukhulu besifo esisibangelayo. Ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, onke amatyala ebenobulali kwaye asymptomatic kwaye iindaba ezimnandi kukuba khange kubekho kufa. Kukwafuneka sivavanye ubungakanani apho umahluko omtsha unokuphuncuka kangakanani kukhuselo lomzimba olubonelelwa zizitofu zangoku. Oku kuya kusivumela ukuba sithathe isigqibo sokuba singaqhubeka ixesha elingakanani na ngezitofu zangoku phambi kokuba sizenze zilungele uhlobo olutsha. IPfizer kunye neModerna sele bethathe amanyathelo okulungisa izitofu zabo zokugonya. Nangona kunjalo, umbuzo ovelayo usahleli malunga nemvelaphi yalo mahluko. Kuyavakala ukuba ukwahluka kwe-Omicron kusenokuba kwavela kwixesha langoku lezehlo eziphezulu zezehlo eYurophu ngaphambili kakhulu, kodwa kwaxelwa ngabasemagunyeni boMzantsi Afrika kutshanje (ngokusekwe kulandelelwano lwegenome). Nangona kunjalo, oku kungenakuba njalo njengoko i-wave wave ikhona kwiinyanga ezi-4-5 ezidlulileyo kwaye ngokwemilinganiselo yokuguqula, kufuneka ibangele ukuba kungabi ngaphezu kweenguqu ze-5-6. 

Okanye kwakunjalo Micron, imveliso yophando lweGain of Function (GoF) olukhokelela kuphuhliso lwentsholongwane enokubakho kwintsholongwane (PPPs)^3,4. Inzuzo yophando lomsebenzi ibhekisa kuvavanyo apho i-pathogen (kule meko i-SARS-CoV-2), ifumana amandla okwenza umsebenzi obungeyonxalenye yobukho bayo rhoqo. Kule meko, kunokukhokelela ekwandeni kokusuleleka kunye nokwanda kwentsholongwane. Oku kunokukhokelela kuphuhliso lwento ephilayo eyinoveli nengazange ibekho ngokwendalo. Injongo yophando lwe-GoF kukufumana ukuqonda kweendlela ezahlukeneyo ze-pathogenic kwaye ulungele ngonyango okanye isitofu sokugonya, ukuba umahluko onjalo uvela kwindalo. Inani leenguqu ezifunyenwe yi-PPPs, ayenzi nje kuphela ukuba i-strain idluliselwe kakhulu kodwa iphinde incede ukubaleka ii-antibodies ze-neutralizing ezenziwe ngokuchasene nentsholongwane yokuqala kubantu abalulamayo. Ukongeza, ukunyangwa koxinzelelo kunokwenzeka kusetyenziswa ubuchule bobunjineli bemfuza banamhlanje obusekwe kwi-RNA ekujoliswe kuyo.⁵. Oku kunokukhokelela kwiinguqulelo ezintsha ze-pathogenic / iintlobo ezinenani elikhulu lotshintsho, olukhokelela kwintsholongwane eyosulela kakhulu kunye nentsholongwane. Uphando lubonise ukuba iinguqulelo ezingama-20 ezenzeka kwiprotein ye-spike, kubandakanya utshintsho kunye nokususwa, zanele ukubaleka uninzi lwe-antibodies eyenziwe kwiplasma yabantu abosulelwe okanye bagonyelwe i-SARS-CoV-2.⁶. Ngokolunye uphononongo, phantsi koxinzelelo olunamandla lomzimba, i-SARS-CoV-2 inokufumana amandla okubaleka amajoni omzimba ngokwenza nje utshintsho olu-3, ukucinywa kabini kwi-N terminal domain kunye notshintsho olunye (E483K) kwi-spike proteinn.⁷. 

Ngaba olu hlobo lophando lufanele luvunyelwe olukhokelela kwisizukulwana seePPP? Ngapha koko, inzuzo yophando lomsebenzi yavalwa yi-USA ngo-2014 yi-NIH, emva kothotho lweengozi ezibandakanya iintsholongwane ezingaphathwanga kakuhle kumaZiko oLawulo lweSifo kunye noThintelo lwase-US, ebonisa ukuba imingcipheko enxulumene nolo hlobo lophando, ingaphezulu kakhulu izibonelelo ezinokubonelela. Ngubani ozuzayo ngokuvela kunye nokusasazeka kwezo PPPs? Le yimibuzo enzima efuna iimpendulo zokwenyani.  

*** 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.29198/scieu/2112011 

***

Iingxelo:  

1. Iziko laseYurophu loThintelo noLawulo lweZifo. Iimpembelelo zokuvela kunye nokusasazeka kwe-SARSCoV-2 B.1.1. I-529 eyahlukileyo yenkxalabo (i-Omicron), ye-EU / EEA. 26 Novemba 2021. ECDC: Stockholm; 2021. Iyafumaneka kwi-intanethi https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/threat-assessment-brief-emergence-sars-cov-2-variant-b.1.1.529   

2. Simmonds P., 2020. Ukuguquguquka kwe-C→U Hypermutation kwiiGenomes ze-SARS-CoV-2 kunye nezinye ii-Coronaviruses: Iimbangela kunye neziphumo zeeTrajectories zabo ezifutshane kunye nexesha elide. 24 Juni 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00408-20 

3. NIH. UPhando olubandakanya iiPathogens ezinokubaKho ezongezelelweyo. (iphepha lihlaziywe ngo-Okthobha wama-20, 2021. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/research-involving-potential-pandemic-pathogens  

4. Intlabathi eguqukayo yophando 'lwenzuzo-yokusebenza'. Indalo 598, 554-557 (2021). doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02903-x 

5. UBert Jan Haijema, Haukeliene Volders, kunye noPeter JM Rottier. Ukutshintsha i-Species Tropism: Indlela esebenzayo yokuLawula iFeline Coronavirus Genome. Ijenali yeVirology. Umqulu. 77, No. 8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.77.8.4528-4538.20033 

6. Schmidt, F., Weisblum, Y., Rutkowska, M. et al. Isithintelo esiphakamileyo sofuzo kwi-SARS-CoV-2 i-polyclonal engathathi hlangothi ukubaleka kwe-antibody. Indalo (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04005-0 

7. Andreano E., okqhubekayo 2021. I-SARS-CoV-2 ibaleka kwi-plasma ye-COVID-19 ephucula kakhulu. PNAS Septemba 7, 2021 118 (36) e2103154118; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2103154118 

***