Hyderabad (Telangana): Amit K Maiti, PhD and Director of Genomics and Genomics in the United States said that minimizing ways of transmission and herd immunity are the only two ways to stop the coronavirus.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat Assistant News Editor Verghese P Abraham, Maiti said that SARS-COV2 virus is highly infectious and the protein coat of virus is very strong, thus reducing its possibility of getting destroyed in high temperatures.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
Q1 What is the difference between Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses like SARS and MERS?
A1: SARS-COV2(Covid-19) has much more infective power than SARS-COV and MERS but there are similarities in their structure and genomes. Survivability of SARS-COV2 is much higher as compared to other viruses. Each virus has two main parts-a protein coat with accessory proteins, such as spikes and nucleic acid as genetic material. As it has high infective power, it means that its protein coat is very strong-not easily destroyed by environmental conditions. Its RNA genome amplification system is very efficient (RDRP-RNA Directed RNA polymerase). Genetically SARS-COV2 (covid-19) is 79% identical with SARS-COV and 52% identical with MERS (1).
Q2 How does this virus enter our body and make us sick?
A2: The virus can enter our body when an individual comes in contact with infected persons or through air-droplets by sneezing or coughing from an infected person. The virus can also be contracted through microdroplet airborne which stays in a closed room for at least 30 minutes.
In most of the cases, virus passes from nose to throat and remains there for a few days (1 to 4) and then passes to lung's alveolar cells. Some of them also travel from mouth to throat but if they reach to the stomach, there is no harm as the enzymes digest the virus. Spike protein of the protein coat of the virus attaches to the cell and binds with the cellular receptor, ACE2 (Angiotensin-converting enzyme II-one of the proteins that regulate blood pressure in human body). The virus injects its RNA genome into the throat and alveolar cell, but protein coat is left behind.
It uses host protein machinery in the cell to amplify (with its RDRP) its genome to millions of copies and also synthesize new coat proteins. The RNA genome is wrapped up with new coat protein and make a full-fledged virus. Then the new virus bursts the lung cells and come to blood and infect other alveoli cells and the entire process is repeated. Some of them reach to heart and brain cells too. As it infects alveolar cells it reduces the power of oxygen exchanging ability of the lungs. In cases when the human body cannot regenerate required number of lung cells, body's regenerative power decreases due to age, diabetes and other health conditions. Old aged people have more probability of getting infected.
Q3 It is speculated that this virus jumped from the animals to humans, how often do we see such mutations that cross-species?
A3: There is no time limit. It can come anytime! But it just not jumps, it takes some time. Actually, a virus which is adapted to live in a non-human host, many of them come in contact with the human but cannot survive in their body. But if they get mutated or finds a common cellular receptor then it acquires the ability to infect human. Most of the mutations are deleterious and not selected to survive. SARS-COV2 has 88% identity with a bat virus (SLCOVZC45) to speculate that it has come from bat. However, as it is not 100% identified it means that it could have come from other unknown viruses too.
Q4 Being an RNA virus, what are the chances of the coronavirus mutating further into other strains?
A4: The study says SARS-COV2 genome is more stable does not have much variations. It indicates that it is selected to infect human and there are also little chances that it can be wiped out from the population by mutation.
Q5 Do climatic conditions have an influence over the spread of this virus?
A5: The protein coat of virus gets destroyed by heat like cooking (100 o C) or in UV rays from bright sunlight. But since the protein coat of SARS-COV2 is much stronger than other viruses, so the possibility of getting destroyed in climatic condition (heat, humidity) is less. The rate of infection is high in Iran, Singapore, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Israel, Saudi Arabia etc.
Q6 Many people have recovered from Covid-19 but there have been deaths. Are comorbidities the reason making Covid-19 worse in patients having underlying health conditions?
A6: Deaths depends on immunity development and regeneration power of the lung cells of the patient. With old age and health issues like diabetes, re-generation power of the lung cells reduces which makes them more prone to the virus. That is why ventilators are used as it regenerates the cell and maintains the pressure of the cell.
Q7 Is there any truth about males being more susceptible to death due to the novel coronavirus as seen in the cases emanating from Spain?
A7: Yes. Although both the genders are equally but males are dying more than females. Detroit data also reveals the death of men due to coronavirus is more than females but the reason is yet to be known.
Q8 How does this virus affect children? Do they fight the virus better than older adults?
A8: Children are actually carriers of the virus. They get infected but do not develop symptoms (like asymptomatic cases). Children can defeat the virus by developing immunity to it but can infect others.
Q9 Being quite infectious, do you think that minimizing human contacts is the only way to stop this virus?