Cellular Alert! COVID-19 and its high-impact attack strategy

Hey, knowledge troops! Today we are going to get our teeth into a topic that is leaving more than one person open-mouthed: the extended COVID. Yes, that annoying guest who doesn’t seem to want to leave the party; well, most people who contract SARS-CoV-2 emerge victorious from the acute battle against the disease. But, dammit! Because there is a good part that remains with symptoms more sticky than chewing gum on a summer shoe, we are talking about the dreaded “prolonged COVID”, a kind of virus hangover that nobody wants.

That’s where Onur Boyman’s team, the wizard of immunology at the University of Zurich, comes in, well look, Onur Boyman’s team, those immunology detectives at the University of Zurich, put on their magnifying glasses and found something interesting. It turns out that the supplement system, which is like the body’s maintenance equipment, has its finger in the extended COVID pie. Who would have thought, the janitor getting into trouble!

To make it easy to understand, the complement system is like the body’s Batman: it’s usually there to save us from crime (read infections and rogue cells), but in cases of prolonged COVID, it gets out of control and starts making messes in the good cells.Sure! Imagine, like the co-worker who overdoes it at the office buffet meal! He overdoes it and the party goes on! This team of researchers followed 113 brave souls who had a close encounter with COVID-19, and found that after six months, 40 of them were still battling prolonged COVID.Imagine, six months of internal warfare in the body!

They did a thorough inspection, analyzing over 6,500 proteins in the blood of these warriors, and discovered that the proteins of the complement system were partying out of control. The levels were through the roof! Like that friend who always over drinks at meetings and here comes the interesting part: those who recovered from prolonged COVID were back to normal within six months.Exactly, like that friend who has a coffee, regains her composure and goes back to being the star meeting organizer! She straightens up and resumes her role as the leader of the good vibe!

In summary, these findings not only open the door to better diagnosis, but also provide clues to look for substances that calm the complement system when out partying. Who knew we might need the equivalent of an antidote for the immune system’s Batman! So you know, troops, stay informed, take good care of yourselves and prevent the complement system from becoming the “problem party animal” in your body. See you in the next installment of the fascinating world of science!