The “Omicron” mutant first spread in South Africa, and the new mutant of the Corona virus spread throughout the world, faster than previous virus strains.
The scientific journal “Nature” stated that “Omicron” is currently present in more than 120 countries around the world.
However, scientists are still puzzled: Where did Omicron come from?
chronic infection
The first hypothesis says that there is something like a municipal incubator, a chronic infection, which gives the virus the ability to evade the immune system.
Scientists say that they have noticed that there are chronic infections in people with weak immune systems who cannot get rid of the virus easily so that it remains in their body, which practically leads to mutations in the virus, especially as the virus multiplies in his body, and then this person spent a period among the population before to find out.
deer and cats
Other researchers believe that omicron may have come from an animal, especially since many mutations of this mutant have been seen in other animals.
In their view, they rely on the fact that the Corona virus did not go through a period of accelerated development after it jumped from animals to humans in China, but researchers here need to find “omicron” particles inside animals, which has not been done so far, and scientists say that this matter was done Terribly neglected.
Since the outbreak of the Corona crisis, doctors have searched 2,000 genomes taken from other animals, such as cats and deer, and now, after the “Omicron” appeared, this research will be important to knowing the origins of this mutant.
rodents
Another hypothesis says that “Omicron” did not appear first in humans, but rather is a “disordered virus” that spread in animals such as the wild tiger and hippopotamus, and then spread to other animals.
Cell-based studies have found that, unlike previous mutants, the spike protein in omicron is similar to a protein found in turkey and mice.
Experts said several mutations in omicron were seen in viruses adapted to rodents in laboratory experiments.
It is therefore possible that the Corona virus acquired mutations that allowed it to reach mice, and then returned to humans, and the presence of corona in rodents opens a way for it to explore new quantities of mutations and the formation of virus ghosts about which no one knows anything.