Coronavirus enters through nose

Thursday April 23, 2020

MDC institute refers to study
Researchers find a gateway for coronavirus

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It was already known that the corona virus is highly contagious and is transmitted via droplets. But now researchers have found out which part of the body is most likely to enter the body.

According to a study, special cells in the nose are the most likely entry points for the new coronavirus. Several research teams had examined cells from the lungs, nose, eyes, intestines, heart, kidneys and liver, as reported by the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin. They wanted to find out which cells contain the two most important entry proteins ACE2 and TMPRSS2, which the virus uses for the infection.

“We then showed that of all cells, the mucus-producing goblet cells and cilia in the nose have the highest concentrations of these two proteins,” explained lead author Waradon Sungnak of the Wellcome Sanger Institute. “This makes these cells the most likely primary route of infection for the virus.” The Max Delbrück Center also reported that the two most important entry proteins are also found in the corneal cells of the eye and in the intestinal mucosa.

This indicates a further possible route of infection via the eye or the tear glands. The MDC writes rather cautiously that there is also potential for transmission via feces and ingestion by mouth. The research teams have published their results in the journal “Nature Medicine”.

Various institutes were involved in the study, including the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University Hospital Groningen and the University of Cote d’Azur, as well as the Human Cell Atlas Lung Biological Network.

According to the MDC message, up to 20 percent of corona patients suffer damage to the heart muscle up to heart failure. The docking station for the corona virus was also found there. However, it is still unclear whether the virus itself causes damage to the heart or whether it is secondary effects.

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