Covid-19 may eventually resemble the common cold in future, scientists predict
- by Jake Bell
- in Research
- — Jan 14, 2021
Researchers have shown in cells and models that the central nervous system and neurons can become a target of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The vaccination of a person now infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus should be delayed until the person has naturally recovered from the acute infection, i.e. until the symptoms of the disease have resolved themselves or the conditions for the termination of isolation have been met. The study authors are optimistic that their findings may help other researchers develop treatments for the various neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19.
More news: Smith wasn't scuffing Pant's guard mark, says Paine"We are in uncharted territory, but a key take-home message from the study is that immunological indicators suggest that fatality rates and the critical need for broad-scale vaccination may wane in the near term, so maximum effort should be on weathering this virgin pandemic enroute to endemicity", said Ottar Bjornstad, Distinguished Professor of Entomology and Biology and J. Lloyd & Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair of Epidemiology, Penn State.
"Understanding the full extent of viral invasion is crucial to treating patients, as we begin to try to figure out the long-term consequences of Covid-19, many of which are predicted to involve the central nervous system", said researcher Akiko Iwasaki, a professor at Yale University. However, such results can occur with any molecular test, and particularly if mutations affect the part of the virus's genome assessed by that test, as SARS-CoV-2, like all viruses, has the potential to mutate over time.
More news: Apple reportedly close to signing deal with Hyundai for electric auto developmentThe researchers revealed that the virus was able to infect neurons in these organoids and use the neuronal cell machinery to replicate. The virus also appeared to facilitate its replication by boosting the metabolism of infected cells, while neighbouring, uninfected neurons died as their oxygen supply was reduced.
Nasopharyngeal swabs are the primary sampling method used for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but they require a trained health care professional and extensive personal protective equipment. CNS infection was much more lethal in mice than infections limited to the lungs, the researchers found.
More news: COVID-19: Japan extends state of emergencySARS-CoV-2 can also cause dramatic alterations in the brain's blood vessels that could potentially disrupt the organ's oxygen supply, the authors wrote. But despite the fact that slow vaccine rollouts mean the US won't achieve herd immunity for months to come, a study published Tuesday in Science also suggests COVID-19 is "here to stay", The New York Times reports. And, the patients had experienced ischemia, a type of stroke that is caused due to blockage in an artery that supplies blood to your brain.
