[ad_1]
According to Science Alert, in two studies, researchers found the immune system mechanism responsible for making the virus so deadly in just a few people.
The study also suggested the first molecular explanation for why this virus is more dangerous for men than for women.
Both studies point to type 1 interferons (IFNs), which play an important role in the course of COVID-19 disease. Interferons are proteins produced by infected cells to stop the spread of the pathogen.
However, in some people, the work of this protein is disrupted.
A recent study shows that more than 10 percent. Healthy people who eventually developed severe COVID-19 symptoms produced antibodies that attack the patient’s own interferons and prevent them from fighting the virus properly.
Another study looked at hospitalized patients with severe symptoms of the disease, some of whom were not even 30 years old. It also turned out that at least 3.5 percent. had genetic mutations that interfere with the normal activity of interferon.
While these potential mechanisms would explain only a fraction of the most serious COVID-19 cases, it could be a discovery that could still save tens, if not hundreds of thousands of lives.
The researchers say that the problem of interferon disruption can be solved using medical interventions that are already available today.
This is not the first time that a phenomenon has occurred in which the immune system damages itself and interferes with interferons that do their job properly. Some bacterial infections, such as those caused by staph, often get worse when the body’s antibodies are deactivated against interferon defenses.
This finding may explain 1 in 10 extremely serious cases of COVID-19, providing an opportunity to apply appropriate treatment and identify who is most at risk in society.
The second study showed that the interferon proteins themselves could harm the body.
A comparison of the genes of 659 patients with a severe and life-threatening form of COVID-19 and 534 people with a mild or asymptomatic form identified 13 sequences of abnormalities that are known to be an integral part of IFN’s anti-influenza activity.
These “loss of function” mutations were seen in only 23 patients, or approximately 3.5%. However, the study shows that even in a small part of the population, disruption of this critical immune pathway can be fatal for an otherwise healthy patient.
The researchers emphasize that the fact that COVID-19 affects patients differently is a true mystery.
“The way that SARS-CoV-2 works differently in humans has been puzzling.” The virus can cause an asymptomatic infection and pass silently, or it can kill in a matter of days, “says medical geneticist John Christodoulo of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia.
Detailed research can be found HERE and HERE.
It is strictly prohibited to use the information published by DELFI on other websites, in the media or elsewhere, or to distribute our material in any way without consent, and if consent has been obtained, it is necessary to indicate DELFI as the source .
[ad_2]
