Virus VUI – 202012/01 - B117

Virus VUI – 202012/01 - B117 A new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified across the South East of England. The variant has been named ‘VUI – 202012/01’ (the first Variant Under Investigation in December 2020). This variant includes a mutation in the ‘spike’ protein. The new highly transmissible strain has shown a similar lethal effect as other variant strains but it contains key mutations, particularly in the virus receptor domain.

A virus is a small parasite that cannot reproduce by itself. Once it infects a susceptible cell, however, a virus can direct the cell machinery to produce more viruses. Most viruses have either RNA or DNA as their genetic material. The nucleic acid may be single- or double-stranded. The entire infectious virus particle, called a virion, consists of the nucleic acid and an outer shell of protein. The simplest viruses contain only enough RNA or DNA to encode four proteins. The most complex can encode 100 – 200 proteins. Strictly speaking, viruses can't die, for the simple reason that they aren't alive in the first place. Although they contain genetic instructions in the form of DNA (or the related molecule, RNA), viruses can't thrive independently. Instead, they must invade a host organism and hijack its genetic instructions. Antibodies are proteins that recognise and bind parts of viruses to neutralise them. Antibodies are produced by our white blood cells and are a major part of the body's response to combatting a viral infection. Antigens are substances that cause the body to produce antibodies, such as a viral protein. For most viral infections, treatments can only help with symptoms while you wait for your immune system to fight off the virus. Antibiotics do not work for viral infections. There are antiviral medicines to treat some viral infections. Vaccines can help prevent you from getting many viral diseases.