Scientists conducted a study, which showed that people with a blood group A are exposed to a greater risk of COVID-19 infection, because the coronavirus can easier to contact their respiratory cells - the cells of the throat and nose, "Moscow Komsomolets" writes.
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston reproduced peak coronavirus protein, which is released from the virus body and captures cells. In particular, the team focused on the receptor-binding domain (RBD), parts of the spike, which is physically connected to human cell receptors. This area is crucial for the virus to infect cells, and the understanding of how it interacts with cell receptors allows researchers to better understand the infection.
Scientists have discovered a higher relationship with cells of people with blood type A, which indicates the evolutionary preference that SARS-COV-2 inherited from one of its virus ancestors.
"It is interesting that the viral receptor binding domain really prefers only the antigens of blood group A, which are located on respiratory cells, which presumably represent how the virus penetrates in most patients and infect them. A blood group is a problem, because it is inherited, and we cannot change it. But if we can better understand how the virus interacts with the blood groups of people, we can find new drugs or prevention methods, "Cats the Daily Mail of the author of the study, Dr. Sean Stowell.