Omicron was found to grow 70 times faster than delta in bronchial tissue | Corona Virus

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The Omicron Covid variant was found to multiply about 70 times faster than the original and the delta version of the coronavirus in tissue samples taken from the bronchi, the main tubes from the windpipe to the lungs, in lab experiments that could help explain its rapid transmission.

The study, by a team from the University of Hong Kong, found that the new variant grew 10 times slower in lung tissue, which the authors said may be indicative of reduced disease severity.

Michael Chan Chi-wai, who led the work, said the finding should be interpreted with caution because severe illness is determined not only by how quickly the virus replicates but also by a person’s immune response, and in particular, whether the immune system goes away. to an increase in speed, causing what is called a cellular storm.

“It is also noted that by infecting more people, a highly contagious virus may cause more serious illness and death even though the virus itself may be less pathogenic,” he said. “Therefore, combined with our recent studies showing that the Omicron variant can partially escape immunity from previous vaccines and infections, the overall threat from the Omicron variant is likely to be very significant.”

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Jeremy Kamel, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, noted that delta, which turned out to be more pathogenic, showed a similar pattern of multiplying more slowly in the lungs.

“These authors found that Omicron replicates remarkable – even much better than Delta or the original virus – in bronchial tissues,” Kamel said. “This could, in some ways, contribute to the diffusion/transfer advantage between people.

“Of course, a huge component of omicron’s transmissibility in real life would be its ability to escape neutralizing antibodies that protect against infection in the first place. It is very likely to spread well even among vaccinated people, especially those who have not recently acquired the booster dose.

Preliminary data, published online and not yet reviewed, came from trials using lung tissue samples taken from patients during surgery. By 24 hours, the Omicron variant had replicated about 70 times more than Delta and the original variant. Although the windpipe is not the upper respiratory tract, the scientists said this could cause more viruses to be secreted and to transmit infection more easily.

The results, along with other recent work showing that omicron infects cells more easily, add to the emerging picture that the variant may intrinsically be more transmissible in addition to evading existing immunity.

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