Why are some people immune to exposure to the new coronavirus?

News

Why are some people immune to exposure to the new coronavirus?

Why are some people immune to exposure to the new coronavirus? research shows that genes are helping.

Have you ever been in a situation in your life where two people go out to eat, eat the same meal, one goes to the emergency room with food poisoning and the other doesn’t; or seasonal flu runs throughout the family Spread, members get sick one after another, and only one person is still healthy?

Regarding the apparent randomness of the spread of the virus, doctors are always looking for reasons. Are there certain factors in the human body that prevent the virus from entering, such as age, vaccination status, etc.? We haven’t been able to find an answer to this.

Now that the COVID-19 pneumonia is sweeping the world, can research on this aspect help us resist the menacing virus?

One has the COVID-19, and the spouse is spared, this situation is not an exception

Recently, Daniela J. Lamas, a columnist for the New York Times and a doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, wrote an article: Why Do Some People Never Get Coronavirus? Some People Never Get Covid?)

Why are some people immune to exposure to the new coronavirus?

In her article, she points out that a typical example is Mayana Zatz, a geneticist at the University of São Paulo. After her neighbor fell ill with Covid-19, his wife cared for him alone and without a mask. So far, the wife has not shown signs of infection.

In fact, Zatz also wondered: Why didn’t his wife get sick? Was she totally uninfected, or was she less affected by the coronavirus?

What surprised her even more was that after investigations, thousands of people who lived in the same room and bed with their partners who contracted the virus were not sick.

Why are some people immune to exposure to the new coronavirus?

Scientists and health workers have been studying the coronavirus since the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic in March 2020. But why some people didn’t get sick after being heavily exposed to the virus remains a mystery.

Scientists led by Dr. Zatz believe the key clue may lie in our genes.

“Each of us is more or less susceptible to the virus because of the level of fusion between the virus and the receptor ,” said John Francois Deleuze, director of the National Human Genome Research Center . In terms of genes, some differences may prevent the virus from entering (the human body).”

Zatz’s lab also collected blood samples from 100 couples from a survey called “Partners with the virus but not themselves.”

The researchers found that compared with asymptomatic partners, infected people had genetic mutations that affected the activity of Nature Killer immune cells, a key component of the immune system, partners who showed no signs of infection. It is more likely that a robust natural killer cell response is present.

But that doesn’t mean that all those who escape Covid-19 are due to genetics , there may be many other things at play. Regardless, Zatz’s discovery sheds light on the mystery.

“If we can actually figure out what the mechanisms are that provide this powerful protection, and what they do, I think we’ll be able to find new treatments,” Zatz said. “But it will take some time.”

Dr. Jean-Laurent Casanova, a child immunologist and geneticist at Rockefeller University, is also one of the key figures in the study of why some people are resistant to the new coronavirus.

So far, Casanova and his colleagues have identified a small number of people who are more seriously ill after contracting Covid-19. They found that these patients had mutations in the gene for interferon — a protein that inhibits the virus — leading to a hole in the body’s ability to fight infection. They also found that at least 15 percent of people had the wrong antibodies that attack interferons, impairing their function in the immune response.

Casanova said that while his research team is accustomed to similar findings, they are unusual in such a large proportion of cases. “It was a surprise to everyone in my field,” he said. This suggests that perhaps scientists could test these antibodies in people with other vulnerabilities, such as the elderly, to understand their risk of developing severe disease if they contract Covid-19.

Genes play an important and complex role in the fight against COVID-19

But the problem is not that simple. Genetics is complex, especially as an epidemic evolves and is influenced by more factors. First, investigating why certain groups of people don’t contract Covid-19 is made more difficult by the role that many factors, such as vaccinations, previous infections, and many other factors play in fighting the virus.

Even more challenging, people’s behavior and environment can also affect how their genes work, which in turn can affect how well they resist Covid-19.

Even if we have a deep understanding of the genes of a certain disease, there is still a long way to go from research results to drug launch.

What’s more, genetic mutations can have both positive and negative effects , such as the same genetic variant that increases the risk of severe illness from COVID-19 can prevent another serious illness — it reduces a person’s risk of contracting HIV by 27 percent.

But it has to be said that this is an opportunity to promote the development of related fields. Experts believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought together two groups that did not cooperate closely enough — the fields of genetics and epidemiology. And this is just the beginning.

“Our genetic code is just where it all started. Like Zatz – her neighbor has recovered and her wife is still uninfected, is it also because of their genes? Scientists may never know.” Rama s wrote in the text.

Ultimately, our genes are just part of the virus’ incredible story that will continue to be told for years to come.

Why are some people immune to exposure to the new coronavirus?

(source:internet, reference only)

Disclaimer of medicaltrend.org

Important Note: The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice.