As the coronavirus epidemic spreads in devastating effects this year, many of us were asking similar questions. How is the virus spread? How can I protect myself from infection?
The truth is, we are still learning how SARS-Cavi-2 works. Official CDC guidelines indicate that the main route of transmission of the virus is through inhalation drops or small particles, which are inhaled through the mouth or nose of infected people, and then inhaled by others.
But this is not the only way to spread the virus. The CDC says similar infectious drops and particles can land on the surface and be transmitted by touch – that is, an infection can result if you touch something with virus particles on it, and then touch your mouth, nose or eyes. Do, says the CDC.
Although this general advice is being repeated by health officials around the world, we do not yet know much about how coronavirus can enter the body through the eyes, although scientists suggest that it is “biologically plausible.”
However, new evidence suggests that at least some eyes may in fact be resistant to SARS-Co-2 – even if they are susceptible to other types of viruses.
In a new study, researchers at the University of Washington in St. Louis found that the cornea – the transparent dome in front of the eye that covers the iris and pupil – was found to be resistant to coronavirus infection in those experiments, although they are curious. Emphasizing is just the beginning.
The first author of this study was molecular microbiologist Jonathan J. “Our findings do not prove that all corneas are resistant,” says Miner.
“But every donor we tested was resistant to the cornevirus novel. It is still possible that a subset of people may have corneas that support the development of the virus, but from the corneas we did not support the growth of SARS-Co-2.”
In experiments using the corneal tissues of 25 human donors and rat corneas, the researchers exposed the eye tissues to three different viruses: SARS-Covy-2, Zika virus and Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1, which causes cold sores).
In the human cornea explanation test (which included some conjunctival tissue, including the membrane covering the front of the eye), the experiment showed that the herpes and Zika viruses were able to replicate in the tissues – but the tests did not show signs of SARS-Cavi-2 replication.
“The cornea and conjunctiva are thought to be receptors for the novel coronavirus, but in our studies, we have found that the virus does not occur in the cornea,” says Rajendra S. Apte, senior author and ophthalmologist.
“Our data suggest that the novel coronavirus does not appear to be able to enter the cornea.”
The team is not entirely sure how the human cornea and conjunctiva can be able to resist SARS-Co-2. A potential molecular inhibitor of the virus in the eye – called interferon lambda – was able to limit the growth of the virus in the human cornea for HSV-1 and Zika viruses, but protein blocking does not appear to have increased the ability to mimic SARS-Co-2. .
Without further ado, the researchers’ best guess for now is that the human cornea’s resistance to coronavirus is “probably controlled by a different antiviral route.” We still don’t know what that path is, and the team says more studies are needed to confirm these findings.
In other words, health professionals should not wear their protective goggles yet, and as far as we know, no one should assume that the cornea virus can enter the body, despite the apparent resistance of the cornea.
“It’s important to respect those who are capable of this virus and take proper precautions,” says Miner.
“We can learn that eye ingots are not necessary to protect against infection in the general community, but our study is really just the beginning.”
These findings are reported Cell reports.
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