Mu variant meaning: definition, quotations

Mu variant

noun

The B.1.621 strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

Although the gamma variant was dominant during the initial phase of the surge, the mu variant outnumbered all other variants in May, and it has driven the epidemic in Colombia since that time2021 November 3, Keiya Uriu, Izumi Kimura, Kotaro Shirakawa, Akifumi Takaori-Kondo, Taka-aki Nakada, Atsushi Kaneda, So Nakagawa, Kei Sato, “Neutralization of the SARS-CoV-2 Mu Variant by Convalescent and Vaccine Serum”, in The New England Journal of Medicine, volume 385, number 25, →DOI:
After being identified in Colombia in January 2021, the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant was sporadically documented, with a prevalence of 0.1%. Although the Mu strain is not yet classified as a “variant of concern” by WHO (which means it is being more closely monitored than a VOI), the mutations found in the B.1.621 strain may have “a synergistic impact on attributes such as reduction of vaccine-induced protection from severe disease, increased transmission, and disease severity.”2022 February 16, Stefano Pascarella, Martina Bianchi, Marta Giovanetti, Daniele Narzi, Roberto Cauda, Antonio Cassone, Massimo Ciccozzi, “The SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant should not be left aside: It warrants attention for its immuno-escaping ability”, in Journal of Medical Virology, volume 94, number 6, →DOI:

1 more example

Consequently, our study unveils the first documented cases of Canis lupus familiaris infected with the Mu variant of SARS‐CoV‐2, the variant with the most death burden during the whole pandemic in Colombia.2024 April 10, Claudia Magaly Sandoval-Ramírez, Nathalia Ballesteros, Juan Carlos Pinilla, Carolina Hernández, Marina Muñoz, Juan David Ramírez, “SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant in dogs visiting veterinary clinics during the third pandemic peak in Eastern Colombia”, in Veterinary Research Communications, volume 48, →DOI:

Synonyms: mu, Mu
Coordinate terms: Alpha variant, Beta variant, Delta variant, Epsilon variant, Eta variant, Gamma variant, Iota variant, Kappa variant, Lambda variant, Omega variant, Omicron variant, Theta variant, Zeta variant