Corona infection: the virus has found a new way to spread

In a new study, researchers warn of a strong threat that coronavirus can also feed. This could allow it to spread even faster.

A recent survey from China suggests that the impending flu surge could pose a “potentially serious public health threat”. The reason is the influence on Corona, the flu virus and the consequences for those affected.

Crown and influence: how dangerous is the interaction

Laboratory experiments conducted by Chinese researchers as part of a new study show that influenza A viruses can lead to a change in the structure of various human cells within hours of infection. The SARS-CoV-2 pathogen is able to exploit it, penetrate even more easily into the corresponding cells and reproduce more efficiently.

So far the study, which was published on Biorxiv.org, has not yet been reviewed by other experts. If the results are correct, however, this would mean that crown and influence work together in an even more damaging way than previously thought. So far it has been known that a double infection from Covid-19 and the flu is possible, but it is not yet clear to what extent both can feed on each other.

Flu vaccinations are particularly important this year

According to the South China Morning Post, Professor Xu Ke of the State Key Laboratory for Virology at Wuhan University, who led the study, explains: “The impending flu season in the Northern Hemisphere is merging with the Covid pandemic. -19, representing a potentially serious threat to public health. “Represent.

For their study, he and his team looked at numerous cells from different parts of the body and different versions of the flu virus such as H1N1 and H2N3. They found “the first experimental evidence that pre-infection with the influenza A virus supports the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its infectivity into co-infected cells and animals,” he says. This is done via a dramatic increase in ACE2 receptors, which the coronavirus can bind via its spike protein. Organs with more ACE2 receptors would then suffer significantly more damage.

If someone shows symptoms that could belong to Corona and the flu, they can be distinguished. In some cases, there are only two signs that separate the crown from the flu.

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