新型コロナ研究コンソーシアム G2P-Japan のプレプリント第10弾(リスクの高い変異株が出現していることに警戒すべき)を、bioRxiv に発表しました by 佐藤ラボ@東大

いわく
「新しいオミクロン亜株 、特にBA.4, BA.5系統のオミクロン株は、伝播力、免疫抵抗性、病原性のいずれの点においても、BA.2系統(現在主流のオミクロン株)よりリスクの高い変異株です。流行の動向は今後の対策次第ですが、リスクの高い変異株が出現していることに警戒すべきと考えます。」
だとのこと。

プレプリントはこれですね↓
Virological characteristics of the novel SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants including BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5

Abstract

After the global spread of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 lineage, some BA.2-related variants that acquire mutations in the L452 residue of spike protein, such as BA.2.9.1 and BA.2.13 (L452M), BA.2.12.1 (L452Q), and BA.2.11, BA.4 and BA.5 (L452R), emerged in multiple countries. Our statistical analysis showed that the effective reproduction numbers of these L452R/M/Q-bearing BA.2-related Omicron variants are greater than that of the original BA.2. Neutralization experiments revealed that the immunity induced by BA.1 and BA.2 infections is less effective against BA.4/5. Cell culture experiments showed that BA.2.12.1 and BA.4/5 replicate more efficiently in human alveolar epithelial cells than BA.2, and particularly, BA.4/5 is more fusogenic than BA.2. Furthermore, infection experiments using hamsters indicated that BA.4/5 is more pathogenic than BA.2. Altogether, our multiscale investigations suggest that the risk of L452R/M/Q-bearing BA.2-related Omicron variants, particularly BA.4 and BA.5, to global health is potentially greater than that of original BA.2.