RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 and the Pathogenesis of COVID-19 Something wicked this way comes Mould spores appear to compete with SARS-CoV-2 for Toll-like receptor 4 on pulmonary epithelial cells, with the periodicity of incident COVID-19 a consequence of seasonal factors that influence availability of the competing species. This new understanding should prompt novel treatments for the pandemic, which, despite widespread vaccinations, continues unabated. Andrew C Retzinger, Department of Emergency Medicine, Camden Clark Medical Center, West Virginia University Gregory S Retzinger, Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
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n inverse relationship between aerosolisation of mould spores and incidence of seasonal influenza-like illnesses (ILI), including COVID-19, has been demonstrated in Chicago. Early in the spring, the number of cases of viral respiratory illnesses falls as the atmospheric concentration of mould spores rises. Mould spores, the reproductive elements of fungi, are aerosolised in the spring and throughout the summer and early fall, a consequence, in large part, of natural and agricultural disruption of soil, figure 1. Following the first frost, the atmospheric concentration of mould spores falls abruptly, coincident with the dramatic rise in cases of viral respiratory illnesses. The cycle repeats itself annually, figure 2. On the basis of the inverse seasonality, it was concluded relevant bioaerosols, including respiratory viruses and mould spores, compete for a common www.pharmafocusasia.com
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