Researchers from the University of Guadalajara, the University of North Carolina and the La Jolla Research Institute in California have found that one of the viruses that causes the common cold, the common cold-causing coronavirus OC43, can protect against secondary infections with influenza viruses . Common cold virus. Dr. José Ángel Regla Nava, an emerging viruses researcher and author of the study, explains that Sars-COV-2 is the cause of COVID-19.
The virologist recalled in an interview with XEU Noticias that there are four types of coronaviruses responsible for 30% of common colds: 229E, OC43, NL63 and HKU1.
“Every time we are exposed to one of the viruses that cause the common cold, we can prevent secondary infection, which may be responsible for the mild or severe clinical symptoms of COVID-19 in some patients,” he explained.
“This means that the first infection, in this case the human coronavirus OC43, will provide us with a second infection against the second pathogen, Sars COV 2,” he added.
He said the research could help develop new broad-spectrum vaccines to protect against various types of coronavirus.
Regla Nava concluded that their results from this article could help develop new broad-spectrum vaccines to protect against various types of coronaviruses.
The findings were published this week in the scientific journal Nature Communications.