Neutralization and Stability of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant.

ABSTRACT: The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529/Omicron variant was first characterized in South Africa and was swiftly designated a variant of concern¹. Of great concern is its high number of mutations, including 30-40 mutations in the virus spike (S) protein compared to 7-10 for other variants. Some of these mutations have been shown to enhance escape from vaccine-induced immunity, while others remain uncharacterized. Additionally, reports of increasing frequencies of the Omicron variant may indicate a higher rate of transmission compared to other variants. However, the transmissibility of Omicron and its degree of resistance to vaccine-induced immunity remain unclear. Here we show that Omicron exhibits significant immune evasion compared to other variants, but antibody neutralization is largely res

SUBMITTER: Zeng C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8722590 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature