The first images from India of the Sars-Cov-2, the virus causing Covid-19 have been caught by scientists in Pune using transmission electron microscope imaging. They were published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research.
The images were captured from the throat swab of the first laboratory-confirmed case in India.
The images show that the virus closely resembles the Mers-Cov virus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus and the 2002 Sars-Cov virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus.
Gene sequencing of the samples from Kerala done at NIV Pune found the virus was a 99.98% match with the virus in China’s Wuhan.
“These images are critical to study mutations in clinical samples and help identify the genetic origin and evolution of the virus, which will help us understand how the virus moved from animals to infect humans, how people-to-people transmission started, and whether it is still mutating, which will inform work on the development drugs and vaccines,” said Dr Ganguly, former director-general, Indian Council of Medical Research.
