The century of corona crisis changed the lives of millions. So at this moment, let us stubbornly hope and try to do our maximum by obeying rules, made to protect ourselves and our community from the Covid-19. Here comes the enhanced role of scientists in the present situation.
Covid-19 can seriously infect the lungs. The symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath. Also, aches, pains, nasal congestion, sore throat runny nose, diarrhoea may also be identified in certain cases. Some people are asymptomatic but may be carriers. In moderate cases, the virus causes pneumonia that can lead to death. Mode of infection is through droplet produced when a diseased person coughs and appear to be transmitted within affected sites. This deadly pandemic had killed around 2.5 lakh and it affected over 184 countries.
Scientists stumble that goblet cells and ciliated cells in the nose had a high level of proteins that corona virus enters into human cells. So the pinpointing of cells could help explain the high transmission rate of the virus. The journal nature medicine published that cells in eyes and some other organs also contain viable entry proteins.
The study aims to foresee how key entry protein is regulated with other immune system genes and devulge pointed target for the development to reduce transmission.
To discover which cells must be involved in Covid-19 research analysed many human cells atlas (HCA)consortium datasets of single-cell RNA sequencing from more than 20 different tissues of non-infected people. The people behind the identification of cells were researchers from the Welcome sanger institute, HCA biological network etc. “We found that receptor protein-ACE-2 and TMPRSS2 protease that can activate SARS-COV2 entry is expressed in cells in different organs, including the cells on the inner lining of the nose.”This was told by Waradon sungnate from welcome sanger institute.
The virus that causes Covid-19 disease known as SARS COV2 uses a similar mechanism to infect human cells as a related coronavirus that caused in 2003SARS epidemic the exact cell type involved in the nose had not identified earlier.
A study on Covid-19 positive patients at Kings Bay college reported that 59% of infected patient reported a loss of smell and taste compared with only 18% of those who tested negative for the disease. This study implies the potential application of new discovery of virus affecting nose cells.
It was also revealed that mucus-producing goblet cells and ciliated cells in the nose had the highest level of both these Covid-19 virus proteins of all cells in the airway, which makes these cells the most likely initial infection route for the virus, says Sugnak.
So new studies rekindle us with the hope that the spread of coronavirus will be limited and a new vaccine against the virus will be launched soon to save the humankind from this pandemic.
-Keerthana Joshi
Author
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