Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection: Is it all about being refractile to innate immune sensing of viral spare-parts? - Clues from exotic animal reservoirs.
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Shankar EM, Che KF, Yong YK, Girija ASS, Velu V, Ansari AW, Larsson M
Pathog Dis 79 (1) -
[2020-12-08; online 2020-12-08]
A vast proportion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) individuals remain asymptomatic and can shed severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) type 2 virus to transmit the infection, which also explains the exponential increase in the number of COVID-19 cases globally. Furthermore, the rate of recovery rates from clinical COVID-19 in certain pockets of the globe is surprisingly high. Based on published reports and available literature, here, we speculated a few immunovirological mechanisms as to why a vast majority of individuals remain asymptomatic similar to exotic animal (bats and pangolins) reservoirs that remain refractile to disease development despite carrying a huge load of diverse insidious viral species, and whether such evolutionary advantage would unveil therapeutic strategies against human COVID-19 infection. Understanding the unique mechanisms that exotic animal species employ to achieve viral control, as well as inflammatory regulation, appears to hold key clues to the development of therapeutic versatility against COVID-19.
Funder: KAW/SciLifeLab National COVID program
Research Area: Biomarkers and systems immunology
PubMed 33289808
DOI 10.1093/femspd/ftaa076
Crossref 10.1093/femspd/ftaa076
pii: 6027506