Coronavirus entry spike uncovered

Scientists have made a key discovery in the search for a COVID-19 vaccine, showing why the virus is so infectious, it was announced last night.

Successful 3D atomic scale mapping of the part of the virus that infects human cells has revealed the structure of this spike protein, researchers reported in Science.

The University of Texas researchers said they had moved straight on to work on development of a vaccine.

The researchers are experts on coronaviruses, giving them an advantage over other research teams. They say that the spike protein, as expected, is similar to the SARS spike protein.

They also report that the protein’s affinity for human ACE2 – the cell entry point – is ten times greater than in the case of SARS. This may help explain its unexpectedly high transmission rate between humans.

Researcher Jason McLellan said: "As soon as we knew this was a coronavirus, we felt we had to jump at it because we could be one of the first ones to get this structure. We knew exactly what mutations to put into this, because we’ve already shown these mutations work for a bunch of other coronaviruses."

Meanwhile The Lancet published an analysis of Africa’s readiness for the virus.

According to the analysis, Egypt, Algeria and South Africa are at the greatest risk from the virus – but are also among the best prepared countries. With weak health systems in many countries Africa was a cause for concern because of its high levels of trade with China and investment from China, the researchers said.

Researcher Dr Vittoria Colizza, of Inserm at Sorbonne Université, France, said: "African countries have recently strengthened their preparedness to manage importations of COVID-19 cases, including airport surveillance, temperature screening at ports of entry, recommendations to avoid travel to China, and improved health information provided to health professionals and the general public. However, some countries remain ill-equipped."

WHO yesterday reported a further 2.5% increase in confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, bringing the total worldwide to 75,204 – with deaths in China passing 2,000 to reach 2,006, an increase of 7%.

Science 19 February 2020

https://science.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abb2507

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