Nose is a point of entry for coronavirus as West reinforces early Chinese research
- European team builds on Chinese findings from patient’s nose sample
- Nasal vulnerability means masks are crucial protection for medical staff and the public
The question, which seems simple enough for a child to answer, took a big research team involving nearly 100 health research institutes in the West months to find out.
And the answer is yes, according to a paper published in the journal Nature Medicine on Thursday.
The question was first raised by Chinese scientists after the first viral strain was isolated and identified in Wuhan early this year. Chinese researchers, including Professor Zuo Wei of Tongji University in Shanghai, found the cells producing ACE2 – a receptor binding protein targeted by the coronavirus – occurred mainly in some organs lower down in the human body, such as lungs, intestines and testicles.
Their findings seemed to coincide with the fact that in the early stage of disease onset Covid-19 patients had relatively mild symptoms in the upper airway. There was even speculation that this infectious disease might start from inside, such as in the stomach and lower parts of the lungs, before devastating the rest of the body.