近日，法国科学家通过基因组测序首次证实，此前已引起不少关注的新冠病毒“德尔塔克戎”（Deltacron）变体确实存在。 法国马赛地中海传染病医疗和教学研究所研究人员3月8日在医学研究论文预印本网站medRxiv上发表文章称，他们通过基因组测序确认了这一新变体的存在，其结合了新冠病毒德尔塔变体和奥密克戎变体中的变异；并且该变体已在法国多个地区被检测到。 另外，全球流感共享数据库（GISAID）提供的数据显示，丹麦和荷兰也发现了“德尔塔克戎”相关病例。总部位于加利福尼亚州的基因研究公司Helix在美国发现了两例。 法国研究人员指出，“德尔塔克戎”这一杂交新变体通过重组产生。所谓重组指一种病毒的两个不同变体同时感染一名患者，会交换遗传物质以产生新的后代。发表于medRxiv的这篇论文指出，“德尔塔克戎”变体的“主干”来自德尔塔变体；而它的刺突蛋白——使病毒能够进入宿主细胞的蛋白则来自奥密克戎变体。 Hybrid versions of the coronavirus that combine genes from the Delta and Omicron variants, dubbed "Deltacron," have been identified in patients in the U.S. and Europe, researchers said. As there have been few confirmed cases, it is too soon to say if Deltacron will be highly transmissible or cause severe disease, said Philippe Colson from IHU Mediterranee Infection in Marseille, France, lead author of a report posted on March 8 on medRxiv ahead of peer review. His team described three patients in France infected with a version of SARS-CoV-2 that combines the spike protein from an Omicron variant with the "body" of a Delta variant. Another two unrelated Deltacron infections have been identified in the U.S., according to an unpublished report by genetics research company Helix that has been submitted to medRxiv and seen by Reuters. Genetic recombinations of human coronaviruses have been known to happen when two variants infect the same host cell. "During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, two or more variants have co-circulated during same periods of time and in same geographical areas. This created opportunities for recombination between these two variants," said Colson, adding that his team has designed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test that "can quickly test positive samples for the presence of this virus." 推荐阅读：迎战奥密克戎！