Virological characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 variant

Akatsuki Saito(University of Miyazaki), Tomokazu Tamura(Hokkaido University), Jiří Zahradník(Charles University), Sayaka Deguchi(Kyoto University), Koshiro Tabata(Hokkaido University), Yuki Anraku(Hokkaido University), Izumi Kimura(The University of Tokyo), Jumpei Ito(The University of Tokyo), Daichi Yamasoba(Kobe University), Hesham Nasser(Suez Canal University), Mako Toyoda(Kumamoto University), Kayoko Nagata(Kyoto University), Keiya Uriu(Tokyo Medical University), Yusuke Kosugi(Tokyo Medical University), Shigeru Fujita(Tokyo Medical University), Maya Shofa(University of Miyazaki), MST Monira Begum(Kumamoto University), Ryo Shimizu(Kumamoto University), Yoshitaka Oda(Hokkaido University), Rigel Suzuki(Hokkaido University), Hayato Ito(Hokkaido University), Naganori Nao(Hokkaido University), Lei Wang(Hokkaido University), Masumi Tsuda(Hokkaido University), Kumiko Yoshimatsu(Hokkaido University), Jin Kuramochi(Tokyo Medical and Dental University), Shunsuke Kita(Hokkaido University), Kaori Sasaki‐Tabata(Kyushu University), Hideo Fukuhara(Hokkaido University), Katsumi Maenaka(Hokkaido University), Yuki Yamamoto, Tetsuharu Nagamoto, Hiroyuki Asakura(Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health), Mami Nagashima(Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health), Kenji Sadamasu(Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health), Kazuhisa Yoshimura(Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Public Health), Takamasa Ueno(Kumamoto University), Gideon Schreiber(Weizmann Institute of Science), Akifumi Takaori‐Kondo(Kyoto University), Kotaro Shirakawa(Kyoto University), Hirofumi Sawa(Sapporo University), Takashi Irie(Hiroshima University), Takao Hashiguchi(Kyoto University), Kazuo Takayama(Kyoto University), Keita Matsuno(Sapporo University), Shinya Tanaka(Hokkaido University), Terumasa Ikeda(Kumamoto University), Takasuke Fukuhara(Hokkaido University), Kei Sato(National Institute of Infectious Diseases)
Cell Host & Microbe
October 18, 2022
10.1016/j.chom.2022.10.003
Cited by 172Open Access
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Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 variant emerged in May 2022. BA.2.75 is a BA.2 descendant but is phylogenetically distinct from BA.5, the currently predominant BA.2 descendant. Here, we show that BA.2.75 has a greater effective reproduction number and different immunogenicity profile than BA.5. We determined the sensitivity of BA.2.75 to vaccinee and convalescent sera as well as a panel of clinically available antiviral drugs and antibodies. Antiviral drugs largely retained potency, but antibody sensitivity varied depending on several key BA.2.75-specific substitutions. The BA.2.75 spike exhibited a profoundly higher affinity for its human receptor, ACE2. Additionally, the fusogenicity, growth efficiency in human alveolar epithelial cells, and intrinsic pathogenicity in hamsters of BA.2.75 were greater than those of BA.2. Our multilevel investigations suggest that BA.2.75 acquired virological properties independent of BA.5, and the potential risk of BA.2.75 to global health is greater than that of BA.5.

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