American scientists have revealed how the coronavirus infection affects the body in the first hours of infection. This is reported by MedicalXpress.
So, experts from Boston University, together with specialists from the National Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, found that COVID-19 affects the tissues of the respiratory organs within an hour after infection. To do this, scientists conducted an experiment with artificially grown cells that are identical to the cells of the human lung.
“The most striking thing we found was how many molecular pathways the virus affects. It's amazing to what extent it affects the cells it infects. The virus rebuilds them completely, ”explained senior research scientist Andrew Emili.
In addition, the expert added that COVID-19 completely changes the metabolic processes in cells – even damages their nuclear membranes – within three to six hours after infection.
However, as noted by his colleague Elke Muhlberger, those infected with the deadly Ebola virus did not show any obvious structural changes in the early stages of infection.
In January, a team of scientists from the Netherlands and Belgium said that a lack of vitamin K can lead to severe coronavirus and sudden death. Due to its lack, the vessel walls become vulnerable to damage, and the risk of thrombosis also increases.
