It could be a black autumn on the contagion front due to the Centaurus variant (Omicron BA.75). The sub-variant of Omicron 2, discovered in India in May, arrived in our country last July 29, when it was sequenced for the first time in Sardinia. A new study, conducted in Italy at the University of Insubria, and published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine states that it could soon become dominant also in our country and lead a new autumn wave.
Centaurus “More contagious, and perhaps more dangerous”
Genetic analysis of the sub-variant BA.2.75 indicated that its mutations make it even more efficient in binding to receptors on human cellscompared to the variants that appeared previously, in particular compared to the Omicron 5.
“The greater ability of Centaurus to bind to the receptors of our organism, the so-called Ace2, opens up new pandemic scenarios and identifies this variant as a possible dominant world-wide, ”he observes Fabio Angeliprofessor of Cardiovascular Diseases of the University of Insubria who conducted the research together with Martina Zappa, biotechnologist of the doctorate in clinical and experimental medicine and medical humanities of the university.
As for its danger, this still needs to be verified. «Its effects in terms of aggressionbut the increased ability to bind to our cells and the subsequent paralysis of the Ace2 receptors, which play a fundamental role in regulating our vital abilities, lead us to believe also a likely increased ability to create damage to our body; this underlines how crucial the new vaccination campaign and the restoration of individual protection measures will be »says the professor.
Centaurus variant, what it is
Centaurus is the new variant of Covid (Omicron BA.2.75) that first emerged in India in May and is currently identified in about 20 countries. Scientists have since feared that it may be more contagious and cause new waves, such as the current one in Omicron 5. Antoine Flahault, director of the University of Geneva’s Institute of Global Health, told AFP news agency that the diffusion of BA.2.75 in India indicated that it may be more transmissible than the sub-variant BA.5 Omicron, which has guided waves in Europe and the United States and is currently dominant in Italy.
Why is it called that
The person responsible for the new nickname “Centaurus” is a Twitter user, Xabier Ostal, a science writer who explained that he coined this term to allow the public to better understand what is happening with the variants and sub-variants of omicron.
The name refers to a constellation of stars representing a centaur, a Greek mythological creature that is half human and half horse. The reason is that the sub-variant has a significant number of mutations compared to Omicron 2, which makes it a “mix”. According to the author, less “scientific” names might help people to better understand the phenomenon of variants.