CORONAVIRUS RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: 1-MINUTE READS
Young children are not immune to COVID-19
Children are as likely as adults to contract SARS-CoV-2 after close contact with an infected person, according to a study in Shenzhen, China. Researchers analysed nearly 400 cases of COVID-19 and 1,300 people who were ‘close contacts’ of the infected people. Seven per cent of close contacts younger than age 10 became infected — roughly the same as in the population overall. The researchers also found that just 9% of original cases — the ‘superspreaders’ — were responsible for 80% of infections detected in close contacts.
Reference: The Lancet Infectious Diseases paper
SARS-CoV-2 might hijack its host’s immune defences
The new coronavirus invades human cells after one of its proteins binds with ACE2, a protein found in cells in many human organs. Researchers studied airway cells from people with influenza (influenza virus also invades the respiratory tract), and found that signalling molecules called interferons — which normally fend off viruses — switch on the host genes encoding the ACE2 protein. The result suggests that the body’s defences against viral attack drive the activation of the gene for ACE2.
Reference: Cell paper
Immune system shows abnormal response to COVID-19
The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 differs from the response prompted by other respiratory viruses, according to an analysis of infected cells, ferrets and humans. The results suggest an immune imbalance: low levels of interferons reduce a cell’s ability to limit viral replication, and the activation of less-specific immune responses promotes inflammation.
Reference: Cell paper
Children are as likely as adults to contract SARS-CoV-2 after close contact with an infected person, according to a study in Shenzhen, China. Researchers analysed nearly 400 cases of COVID-19 and 1,300 people who were ‘close contacts’ of the infected people. Seven per cent of close contacts younger than age 10 became infected — roughly the same as in the population overall. The researchers also found that just 9% of original cases — the ‘superspreaders’ — were responsible for 80% of infections detected in close contacts.
Reference: The Lancet Infectious Diseases paper
SARS-CoV-2 might hijack its host’s immune defences
The new coronavirus invades human cells after one of its proteins binds with ACE2, a protein found in cells in many human organs. Researchers studied airway cells from people with influenza (influenza virus also invades the respiratory tract), and found that signalling molecules called interferons — which normally fend off viruses — switch on the host genes encoding the ACE2 protein. The result suggests that the body’s defences against viral attack drive the activation of the gene for ACE2.
Reference: Cell paper
Immune system shows abnormal response to COVID-19
The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 differs from the response prompted by other respiratory viruses, according to an analysis of infected cells, ferrets and humans. The results suggest an immune imbalance: low levels of interferons reduce a cell’s ability to limit viral replication, and the activation of less-specific immune responses promotes inflammation.
Reference: Cell paper
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