Spanish-Dutch research has revealed two new mutations in the TLR7 gene in healthy young men who became seriously ill with severe Covid-19. It’s becoming increasingly plausible that such mutations undermine a sufficient immune response against SARS-CoV-2, the researchers write in Frontiers in Immunology.
An infection with SARS-CoV-2 can lead to serious inflammation and even death in some individuals. Older age, male gender and chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity increase the risk for a severe outcome. But these risk factors cannot explain why (very) severe Covid-19 also occurs in young, healthy men without a medical history.
Important factor in the immune system
Last year researchers from Radboudumc published an article in JAMA describing for the first time that mutations in the TLR7 gene were a possible rare genetic risk factor. Two unrelated pairs of brothers became seriously ill with Covid-19 and one of them died, they reported. They all had a mutation in the TLR7 gene, which encodes the receptor that plays a role in the recognition of the coronavirus and initiates the antiviral immune response through induction of interferons. TLR7 thus appears to be an important factor in the defense against SARS-CoV-2.
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Frontiers in Immunology. Research Paper:
