Flu, new crown two viruses co-infection is the same as "fueling the fire"

the northern hemisphere enters winter, scientists have warned of seasonal influenza or more challenges to the prevention and control of new crown outbreaks, will seasonal influenza affect the severity of the COVID-
epidemic? Is it necessary to increase the vaccination against influenza in winter? There is a lot of debate about all of this.
February 18, local time, the Wuhan University research team published a research paper entitled "Coinfection with influenza A virus enhances SARS-CoV-2 infectivity" in the international academic journal Cell Research. Will influenza viruses and new coronavirus co-infect in individuals? How will influenza virus infection affect new coronavirus infections? Will the co-infection of the two viruses cause more serious diseases? The research team gives answers to these questions. Professor Xu Ke of Wuhan University's National Key Laboratory of Virology, School of Life Sciences and Director of Wuhan University's National Key Laboratory of Virology and Professor of Life Sciences Are co-authors. Cell Research is an international journal that has grown up in China and has the highest influence factor in life science journals in the Asia-Pacific region.
's research team first reported that influenza viruses can significantly promote new coronavirus infections, and by building models of influenza viruses and new coronavirus co-infected mice, they found that co-infection between the two viruses causes more serious diseases in mice, and the paper also conducted an in-depth study of the molecular mechanisms of influenza viruses to promote new coronavirus infection and disease.
results show that the co-infection of the two viruses is the same as "fueling the fire", which makes the infection of the new coronavirus increase and lead to more serious diseases, and the research provides a scientific basis for further attention and prevention and control of the co-infection of the two viruses.
According to a report on the study on Wuhan University's official website, the team first infected with influenza viruses (H1N1, H3N2 and B) with new coronavirus and live viruses, respectively, and found that pre-infection with influenza viruses significantly promoted new The invasion and replication of coronavirus, a phenomenon that exists in a variety of human respiratory cells and human lung tissue cells, can also make cells that would not otherwise be infected with the new coronavirus into fully susceptible cells, suggesting that the co-infection of the two viruses may lead to more cells and tissues in the patient's body to be attacked by the virus.
in mice with the new coronavirus vector ACE2
, influenza and neo-coronavirus infections can cause more serious lung pathological damage and higher load of new coronavirus.
, the team focused on ACE2, a key subject of the new coronavirus invasion. The results showed that a single infection with influenza caused a slight increase in ACE2 expression levels (2-3 times), but a strong increase in ACE2 expression levels (about 20 times) was strongly associated with influenza and new coronary infections. The study suggests that influenza virus infection increases the infection of the re-coronavirus by initiating the expression of ACE2 and facilitating the subsequent accelerated expression process.
study also found that the flu virus's regulatory effect on ACE2 is not regulated by interferon, suggesting that the body's immune response to influenza viruses does not protect individuals from the new coronavirus. Therefore, it cannot be considered that immunity against other viruses can be obtained through common influenza.
study also found that other common respiratory viruses such as side-flu viruses, respiratory syncytial viruses, rhinoviruses, etc. do not have the ability to promote new coronavirus infections. The team therefore believes that influenza virus is the top priority for co-infection prevention and control.
the study suggests that scientific surveillance and prevention of winter flu and new crown overlay epidemics should be conducted, and that the public should be vaccinated against influenza or new crown seedlings to reduce the risk of co-infection.
also stressed that the development of a new generation of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs for more than one virus is the direction of treatment of co-infected diseases.
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