Stefan Poehlmann
@snpoehlm
Virologist, Head of Infection Biology Unit, Deutsches Primatenzentrum @DPZ_eu
Final takeaway: BA.3.2 definitely not dead & now detected in international travel surveillance for the 1st time However, the particular branch this ocean-hopping sequence is from seems unlikely to be the one to break through due to its deleterious ORF1a:∆141-143 deletion. 10/10
For completeness: another BA.3.2 sequence from Gauteng, South Africa - possibly the same individual. EPI_ISL_20075832, sampled May 30, 2025, from an 11-year-old girl under baseline surveillance. #COVID19 #VariantWatch #BA32
The "undead" BA.3.2 variant lives on - new sequence from South Africa, EPI_ISL_20075682: 11-year-old girl, sample taken June 12, 2025, under pneumonia surveillance. #COVID19 #VariantWatch #BA32
The "undead" BA.3.2 variant lives on - new sequence from South Africa, EPI_ISL_20075682: 11-year-old girl, sample taken June 12, 2025, under pneumonia surveillance. #COVID19 #VariantWatch #BA32
👀Important new insights into TMPRSS2 usage by #Omicron subvariants from @StuartTurville & team. A must-read for anyone tracking SARS-CoV-2 evolution and viral entry mechanisms. 🧬🔬 #COVID19 #Virology #TMPRSS2
9- This gave us the biggest clue. ACE2 in this setting is geared towards the renin angiotensin system (RAS), as its neck is exposed to enable TMPRSS2 and ADAM-17 to engage and regulate soluble ACE2. This form of ACE2 we call RAS-ACE2. Maybe Omicron variants don't like RAS-ACE2?
Bottom line, in my view: BA.3.2 has spread internationally & is likely growing, but very slowly. If nothing changes, its advantage vs circulating lineages, which seem stuck in an evolutionary rut, will likely gradually grow as immunity to dominant variants solidifies... 2/9
Here's the latest variant picture for Europe (excluding the UK), to late June. The XFG.* "Stratus" variant took over dominance, growing to 43% frequency. NB.1.8.1 "Nimbus" has not been as successful, at 12%. #COVID19 #EUR #LP_8_1 #XFG #Stratus #NB_1_8_1 #Nimbus 🧵
🧬 New BA.3.2 sequence from the Netherlands: EPI_ISL_20064494 📍 Donor: 71 years old 📅 Collection date: 18 June 2025 #SARSCoV2 #Genomics #BA32 #GISAID #COVID19
Quick BA.3.2 update. Another BA.3.2.2 (S:K356T+S:A575S branch) from South Africa via pneumonia surveillance. This means that 40% of SARS-CoV-2 sequences from SA collected since April 1 (2/5) and 50% collected after May 1 (1/2) are BA.3.2. Its foothold seems strong there. 1/3
Do you remember BA.3—the weakling cousin of BA.1 & BA.2 that seemed to take the worst from each & had weaker ACE2 binding than even the ancestral Wuhan Virus? After 3 years, BA.3 is back. And it is transmitting. Who saw this coming? 1/13