Finding the origin of Omicron, which has become the dominant variant in the world, is of great importance in the fight against the epidemic.
A recent study in China showed that Omicron is a result of reverse zoonosis.
Scientists have shown that Omicron, which evolves 3 times faster than previous variants of the coronavirus, cannot develop in the human body, but can arise in a mouse.
Accordingly, in a mouse infected by humans, the coronavirus accumulated a large number of mutations and jumped back to humans after a year.
THE SPEED OF MUTATIONS IS CONSISTENT WITH MICE
The scientists then found that the molecular nature of the mutations in the Omicron variant is not the same as when the coronavirus evolved in humans when it was first detected in humans.
But it has been seen that mutations can develop consistently in animals, especially mice.
“FROM MOUSE TO PEOPLE”
“Our findings demonstrate that two viruses from the B.1.1 family, progenitor of Omicron, jumped from humans to mice during the pandemic (probably in mid-2020) and experienced an adverse zoonotic event. “These viruses returned to humans, accumulating several mutations in a mouse over a period of more than a year before returning to humans in late 2021.”