Sanyaolu A, Marinkovic A, Prakash S, Haider N, Williams M, Okorie C, Badaru O, Smith S. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529): A concern with immune escape. World J Virol 2022; 11(3): 137-143 [PMID: 35665238 DOI: 10.5501/wjv.v11.i3.137]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Adekunle Sanyaolu, PhD, Academic Research, Director, Department of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, New Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Ahmadu Bello Way, Central Business District, Abuja 0000, Nigeria. sanyakunle@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Virology
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Virol. May 25, 2022; 11(3): 137-143 Published online May 25, 2022. doi: 10.5501/wjv.v11.i3.137
SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529): A concern with immune escape
Adekunle Sanyaolu, Aleksandra Marinkovic, Stephanie Prakash, Nafees Haider, Martina Williams, Chuku Okorie, Olanrewaju Badaru, Stella Smith
Adekunle Sanyaolu, Department of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja 0000, Nigeria
Aleksandra Marinkovic, Stephanie Prakash, Martina Williams, Department of Basic Sciences, Saint James School of Medicine, The Valley 0000, Anguilla
Nafees Haider, Department of Basic Sciences, All Saints University School of Medicine, Roseau 0000, Dominica
Chuku Okorie, Department of Allied Sciences, Union County College, Plainfield, NJ 07060, United States
Olanrewaju Badaru, Department of Public Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Abuja 0000, Nigeria
Stella Smith, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos 100001, Nigeria
Author contributions: Sanyaolu A, Marinkovic A, Prakash S, Haider N, Williams M, Okorie C, Badaru O and Smith S contributed to the design, writing and final approval of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict of interest to this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Adekunle Sanyaolu, PhD, Academic Research, Director, Department of Public Health, Federal Ministry of Health, New Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Ahmadu Bello Way, Central Business District, Abuja 0000, Nigeria. sanyakunle@hotmail.com
Received: December 28, 2021 Peer-review started: December 28, 2021 First decision: February 8, 2022 Revised: March 5, 2022 Accepted: April 21, 2022 Article in press: April 21, 2022 Published online: May 25, 2022 Processing time: 142 Days and 22.4 Hours
Abstract
Omicron, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant that is now spreading across the world, is the most altered version to emerge so far, with mutations comparable to changes reported in earlier variants of concern linked with increased transmissibility and partial resistance to vaccine-induced immunity. This article provides an overview of the SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron (B.1.1.529) by reviewing the literature from major scientific databases. Although clear immunological and clinical data are not yet available, we extrapolated from what is known about mutations present in the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 and offer preliminary indications on transmissibility, severity, and immune escape through existing research and databases.
Core Tip: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant, Omicron (B.1.1.529), was first reported to World Health Organization from South Africa on November 24, 2021. Omicron has been labeled a variant of concern because of genetic changes that increase transmissibility and decrease the effectiveness of health measures, vaccines, and therapeutics. This variant has 32 mutations in the spike protein, which is problematic because vaccinations designed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections target spike proteins. Despite some evidence that vaccination alone may not be enough, non-pharmaceutical practices such as continued use of face masks, proper hygiene precautions, and social distancing, are required to successfully combat this variant.
