Scientists have claimed the coronavirus can enter the body through eyes.
This is after researchers found out the mechanism for how the virus works, as the coronavirus has a protein used to bind to cells. This virsus only attaches itself to ACE-2 receptors, the gateway cells. These receptors are mostly found in respiratory tract and lungs – and now the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have found these receptors in the eyes as well, giving the initiative to protect them from vulnerability.
The virus could begin infiltrating cells from the eyes. Conjunctivitis – an inflammation of the eye which causes it to become red and infected – may now be explained from some patients suffering it.
“Not only could the virus enter the body through the eyes, but tears may serve as a spread of infection”, scientists said. Led by Lingli Zhou of the Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, the team carried out extensive research, taking eye samples from the COVID-19 corpses for discovering ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) “.
” It’s suggested that someone with more ACE-2 receptors may be more susceptible to a large viral load – first infectious dose of a virus – entering their bloodstream.
The team also said that they have looked for TMPRSS2, an enzyme that “helps viral entry following binding of the viral spike protein to ACE2.
ACE2 and TMPRSS2 must both be present in the same cell for the virus to effectively replicate. All eye specimens expressed ACE-2 in the tissue that lines the inside of the eyelids, called conjunctiva, the clear outer layer of the eye, called the cornea, and the limbus, which is the border between the cornea and the white of the eye.
”, citing the work procedure that they have made in the researching period.
TMPRSS2 was also expressed, according to the pre-print paper on MedRxiv yet to be reviewed by other scientists.
Dr Zhou and colleagues wrote: ‘Together, these results indicate that ocular surface cells including conjunctiva are susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, and could therefore serve as a portal of entry as well as a reservoir for person-to-person transmission of this virus.
’ This will embetter the understanding we have on the virus, if only by little.
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