Common Cold Virus Competes Successfully Against Covid-19
A new study suggests that the common cold virus in humans competes successfully against Covid-19. The common cold virus is rhinovirus and it boots out the Covid-19 causing coronavirus.
According to the research published by scientists at the University of Glasgow, found that rhinovirus which causes the common cold, triggers an immune response that appears to block SARS-CoV-2 replicating in cells of the respiratory tract.The rhinovirus could be responsible for up to 40 per cent of all common cold infections.
The illnesses are usually short-lived. Viruses compete to survive in their hosts. Humans are an important host for a variety of viruses.
Professor Pablo Murcia, from the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said: “Our research shows that human rhinovirus triggers an innate immune response in human respiratory epithelial cells which blocks the replication of the Covid-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2″.
“This means that the immune response caused by mild, common cold virus infections, could provide some level of transient protection against SARS-CoV-2, potentially blocking transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and reducing the severity of Covid-19″, said Professor Pablo Murcia
“The next stage will be to study what is happening at the molecular level during these virus-virus interactions, to understand more about their impact on disease transmission”, said Professor Pablo Murcia.
“We can then use this knowledge to our advantage, hopefully developing strategies and control measures for Covid-19 infections. In the meantime, vaccination is our best method of protection against Covid-19”, said Professor Pablo Murcia.
Effectively, a rhinovirus infection can prevent a Covid-19 infection. But this is not the end of the story of Covid-19 pandemic.
Ms Kalinga