2023-07-19 17:04:58
***NEWS ALERT***
***Researchers Identify Gene Responsible for Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infections***
by Clemens Haug
As of July 19, 2023 5:04 p.m
Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery in understanding why some individuals do not fall ill when exposed to the coronavirus. A specific gene variant related to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) has been identified as the key to asymptomatic COVID-19 infections. This finding sheds light on the vast difference in the severity of the disease among individuals.
Led by Jill Hollenbach from the University of California in San Francisco, the research team found that individuals with the HLA-B15 mutation can produce messenger substances that enable killer T cells to identify the SARS-CoV-2 virus, even if the immune system has never encountered it before. These T cells can recognize a particular peptide called NQK-Q8, which is present in the virus and also in common cold coronaviruses in a similar form as NQK-A8. This cross-immunity mediated by HLA-B15 is believed to be responsible for the asymptomatic infections observed at the beginning of the pandemic.
To conduct their study, Hollenbach and her colleagues analyzed the data of approximately 30,000 bone marrow donors who had participated in the “Covid-19 Citizen Science Study” app developed by the University of San Francisco. Out of these donors, around 1,428 individuals had tested positive for COVID-19 between February 2020 and April 2021. Surprisingly, 136 of these individuals remained symptom-free for at least two weeks despite testing positive. Further analysis revealed that 20 percent of these asymptomatic individuals carried at least one gene variant that produced HLA-B15, while only 9 percent of those with symptomatic infections carried the gene. Carrying at least two gene variants for HLA-B15 significantly reduced the overall risk of developing symptomatic disease by eight-fold.
Interestingly, the HLA-B15 mutation seems to neutralize known risk factors such as obesity, previous illnesses, or old age. “If you have an army that is able to identify the enemy early on, that’s a big advantage,” explains Jill Hollenbach, emphasizing the significance of their findings. “It’s like having soldiers prepared for battle who already know who the bad guys are.”
This discovery not only provides valuable insight into the immunity response to SARS-CoV-2 but also paves the way for further research in developing targeted therapies or vaccines. Understanding the genetic factors that contribute to the body’s ability to fight off the virus without symptoms will aid in mitigating the impact of future viral outbreaks.
The study, titled “A common allele of HLA is associated with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection,” has been published in the journal Nature.
This topic will be discussed in more detail on MDR TELEVISION’s Sachsenspiegel program on July 18, 0023, at 7:06 p.m.
-End-]
#people #corona #researchers #find #genetic