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Corona course: Bavarian researchers discover Covid protein - solution to puzzles about difficult courses?

2021-02-25T11:25:28.951Z


Why do some people not notice their corona infection, while others get seriously ill? Bavarian researchers have discovered a protein that could play an important role.


Why do some people not notice their corona infection, while others get seriously ill?

Bavarian researchers have discovered a protein that could play an important role.

  • Some people do not notice their Corona * disease, others have to be treated as inpatients.

  • Researchers from Erlangen, not far from Nuremberg *, have now found out that a protein could play an important role in the course of a corona * disease.

  • The study results could be of great importance.

  • You can read all the news about the coronavirus in Bavaria in our news ticker.

Erlangen - Researchers from Erlangen have found that a protein could have a decisive influence on the severity of a Covid-19 * disease.

With this knowledge, therapy even seems possible.

Erlangen researchers discover protein: does it help to predict severe corona courses?

Some people become infected with the coronavirus and hardly notice it.

Others, on the other hand, become seriously ill and even have to be hospitalized.

Even a year after the outbreak of the pandemic, there is still no absolute clarity about the risk factors.

Erlangen researchers have now discovered evidence of a biomarker that could predict severe courses.

Perhaps this would even make therapy possible, as

reported by

infranken.de

.

So far it is certain: Older people have a higher chance of getting seriously ill with Corona.

Other factors also increase the risk of severe disease, such as smoking or being overweight.

However, there is still no consensus on the mechanisms that increase the risk of serious illness.

Time and again, people who do not belong to a known risk group also become seriously ill.

Protein interleukin-3: can severe corona courses now be predicted?

Two doctors from Erlangen are now feeding the hope of being able to better identify difficult courses: Dr.

Georg Weber, deputy clinic director and senior physician at the surgical clinic of the University Clinic Erlangen, and Dr.

Alan Bénard, employee at the surgical clinic.

Together with other researchers from the “Cellular immunity in inflammation and cancer” working group, you discovered an important early indicator of whether the infection will be mild or severe.

According to

infranken.de, this

is the immune messenger substance interleukin-3.

The research results appear in the journal "Nature Communications".

Interleukin-3 is a protein that stimulates the human immune system.

It stimulates the blood formation process and is therefore used, for example, after bone marrow transplants, but also in general anemia or after chemotherapy.

According to the portal, this should promote blood formation.

Erlangen researchers identify protein: Severe corona course with low interleukin-3 levels?

In a study, Weber and Bénard have now shown that a low interleukin-3 level in the blood plasma is often associated with a severe corona course.

The protein plays an important role in organizing the body's immune response.

At the point of inflammation - for example, pneumonia triggered by SARS-Cov-2 - it stimulates the cells there to produce the protein CXCL12.

“This protein communicates with the plasmacytoid dendritic cells - non-specific immune cells that normally circulate in the bloodstream.

CXCL12 'lures' them into the inflamed lungs, so to speak, where they curb the replication of the triggering viruses ”,

infranken.de

quotes

Dr.

Weber.

In simple terms, this means: Interleukin-3 indirectly improves the body's immune defense significantly and focuses it.

Video: High blood pressure: Those affected often suffer from a severe corona course

Researchers from Bavaria identify corona protein: Is immunotherapy possible?

For a severe course, the interleukin-3 level can therefore offer an important clue, because up to now this assessment could only be based on coarser criteria, such as the patient's age or any previous illnesses.

“But people who do not belong to any risk group can also have little interleukin-3 in their blood.

With these, a difficult course has come as a surprise up to now and adequate medical care may have been too late, ”said Dr.

Weber opposite

infranken.de

.

The study results could now help to make important decisions about the treatment of corona patients at an earlier point in time.

The results could even be of great importance with regard to a possible therapy: According to

infranken.de, it is

also conceivable to develop an immunotherapy in which the protein is used in the form of an inhalant.

In this way, the lungs can be precisely protected from the virus attack.

(came) * Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

How does Bavaria get out of the permanent lockdown?

Markus Söder now has more concrete ideas.

In regions with an incidence below 35, there is said to be more easing than elsewhere in the Free State. *

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-02-25

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