This May Be Why Some People Don ’ t Get COVID-19 Symptoms

About three-quarters of people in the U.S. have had COVID-19 at least once, according to the latest federal estimates—but, if they were asymptomatic, some of them might not realize it. Since the beginning of the pandemic, researchers have tried to understand why some people who are infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus never experience telltale symptoms like a cough, sore throat, or fever. A new study, published July 19 in Nature, offers one possible explanation: it’s thanks to a quirk of their genes. Genes that are part of what’s known as the HLA complex help the body identify proteins made by pathogens, such as viruses, and leap into action when a foreign invader is present. Some people with a common HLA mutation seem to respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus as if their immune systems already know how to fight it off, even if they’ve never been exposed before, explains study co-author Jill Hollenbach, a professor of neurology, epidemiology, and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco. That recognition appears to facilitate an immune response fast and effective enough that people don’t even develop symptoms. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “Conceptually,” Hollenbach says, “it’s the same as what we’re trying to accomplish with vaccination.” More from TIME [video id=kUaGlc14 autostart="viewable"] To reach that finding, Hollenbach and her colleagues analyzed the genetic information of mor...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news