According to the study, this is how the infection enters the body

How does Corona enter the body? The most likely first line of infection for the virus is now clear, according to a new study. However, according to research, there are indications of an additional path.

Special cells in the nose are the most likely entry points for the new coronavirus, according to a study. Several research teams examined cells from the lungs, nose, eyes, intestines, heart, kidneys and liver, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin reported on Thursday.

They wanted to find out which cells contain the two most important entry proteins ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which the virus uses for infection. “We then demonstrated that of all cells, mucus-producing goblet cells and cilia in the nose have the highest concentrations of these two proteins,” explained lead author Waradon Sungnak of the Wellcome Sanger Institute. “This makes these cells the most likely primary route of infection for the virus.”

Indications of another route of infection.

The Max Delbrück Center reported that the two most important input proteins are also found in the corneal cells of the eye and in the intestinal mucosa. This indicates another possible route of infection through the eye or the lacrimal glands. The MDC writes quite cautiously that there is also the possibility of transmission through feces and oral ingestion. The research teams have published their results in the journal “Nature Medicine”.

Several institutes participated in the study, including the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University Hospital of Groningen and the University of the French Riviera, as well as the Lung Biological Network of the Atlas of Human Cells.

According to the MDC message, up to 20 percent of crown patients suffer damage to the heart muscle up to heart failure. There are also docking points for that. Corona virus has been found. However, it is still unclear whether the virus itself causes damage to the heart or whether it is a side effect.