Back to Search
Start Over
How Genetics Might Explain the Unusual Link Between Malaria and COVID-19
- Source :
- Frontiers in Medicine, Frontiers in Medicine, Vol 8 (2021)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Frontiers Media S.A., 2021.
-
Abstract
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-associated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been the subject of a large number of studies in recent times. Here, starting from the evidence that in Italy, the areas with the lowest number of COVID-19 cases were those with the highest incidence of malaria in the early 1900's, we explore possible inverse relationships between malaria and COVID-19. Indeed, some genetic variants, which have been demonstrated to give an advantage against malaria, can also play a role in the incidence and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections (e.g., the ACE2 receptor). To verify this scientific hypothesis, we here use public data from whole-genome sequencing (WGS) experiments to extrapolate the genetic information of 46 world populations with matched COVID-19 data. In particular, we focus on 47 genes, including ACE2 and genes which have previously been reported to play a role in malaria. Only common variants (>5%) in at least 30% of the selected populations were considered, and, for this subset, we correlate the intra-population allele frequency with the COVID-19 data (cases/million inhabitants), eventually pinpointing meaningful variants in 6 genes. This study allows us to distinguish between positive and negative correlations, i.e., variants whose frequency significantly increases with increasing or decreasing COVID-19 cases. Finally, we discuss the possible molecular mechanisms associated with these variants and advance potential therapeutic options, which may help fight and/or prevent COVID-19.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Medicine (General)
medicine.medical_specialty
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
malaria
Genomics
Biology
genomic
03 medical and health sciences
R5-920
0302 clinical medicine
whole-genome sequencing analysis
Hypothesis and Theory
Pandemic
Epidemiology
medicine
genomics
030212 general & internal medicine
malaria, COVID-19, genomics, whole-genome sequencing analysis, epidemiology
Gene
Allele frequency
Genetics
Incidence (epidemiology)
COVID-19
General Medicine
medicine.disease
030104 developmental biology
Medicine
epidemiology
Malaria
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2296858X
- Volume :
- 8
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Frontiers in Medicine
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....a66d55e0e02acf071a09835b73886992