SARS-CoV-2 Omicron变异株的研究进展

Research Progress of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant

拥有较强变异能力的严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2)在新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情长期流行的过程中不断发生变异进化。2021年11月,一种刺突蛋白携带大量突变的SARS-CoV-2变异株在南非博茨瓦纳出现并被命名为“Omicron”,随后该毒株迅速取代Delta变异株成为现阶段全球流行毒株。与此前流行毒株相比,Omicron变异株具有更高的传染性和较强的免疫逃逸能力,其蔓延是当下全球2019冠状病毒病(Corona Virus Disease 2019, COVID-19)日新增确诊病例居高不下的关键因素。本文就Omicron变异株的起源、免疫逃逸机制及毒株致病性等方面进行综述。在总结Omicron变异株特点的同时分析该变异毒株对疫苗接种策略的潜在影响,以期为该变异毒株及将来可能出现的新发毒株的防控提供参考。

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with strong mutation ability has continuously mutated and evolved during the long-term epidemic of novel coronavirus pneumonia. In November 2021, a novel variant with a large number of mutations in spike protein appeared in Botswana of South Africa and was named “Omicron”, and then this lineage quickly replaced the Delta variants and became the current global epidemic lineage. Compared with previous epidemic variants, Omicron variant with higher infectivity and stronger immune evasion ability, the spread of this variant led to the current high number of daily confirmed cases of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) around the world. In this paper, the origin of Omicron variants, the immune escape mechanism and pathogenicity of this variant were reviewed. While summarizing the features of Omicron, the potential impact of Omicron variant on vaccination strategy is analyzed, so as to provide reference for the prevention of Omicron and possible emergence of new variants in the future.