MacLean, O. A. , Orton, R. J. , Singer, J. B. and Robertson, D. L. (2020) No evidence for distinct types in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Virus Evolution, 6(1), veaa034. (doi: 10.1093/ve/veaa034) (PMID:32817804) (PMCID:PMC7197565)
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Abstract
A recent study by Tang et al. claimed that two major types of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (CoV-2) had evolved in the ongoing CoV disease-2019 pandemic and that one of these types was more ‘aggressive’ than the other. Given the repercussions of these claims and the intense media coverage of these types of articles, we have examined in detail the data presented by Tang et al., and show that the major conclusions of that paper cannot be substantiated. Using examples from other viral outbreaks, we discuss the difficulty in demonstrating the existence or nature of a functional effect of a viral mutation, and we advise against overinterpretation of genomic data during the pandemic.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Robertson, Professor David and Singer, Dr Josh and Orton, Dr Richard and MacLean, Dr Oscar |
| Authors: | MacLean, O. A., Orton, R. J., Singer, J. B., and Robertson, D. L. |
| College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research |
| Journal Name: | Virus Evolution |
| Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
| ISSN: | 2057-1577 |
| ISSN (Online): | 2057-1577 |
| Published Online: | 14 May 2020 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © The Author(s) 2020 |
| First Published: | First published in Virus Evolution 6(1):veaa034 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons license |
University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record
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