Internal Antibodies Defense Against the Virus

 

The coronavirus hijacks human cells with the aid of spike proteins that expand from its own membrane layer, giving the virus its crown-like appearance. The spike protein attaches to the cell surface and helps merge the viral and cellular membranes. Once the membranes are fused, the virus can enter the cell and create copies of itself, spreading the infection throughout the body.

Sars-CoV-2 attacks the lungs, an especially sensitive battleground. Also, as the immune system tries to fight a virus that it has never before encountered, it can go into overdrive, causing excessive damage to adjoining cells and tissue.

The virus spreads naturally when an infected person coughs or sneezes, droplets are released that can transmit the virus to anyone in close contact. Coronaviruses also causes flu symptoms such as patients might start out with a fever and cough that progresses to pneumonia or worse.

After the SARS outbreak, the World Health Organization reported that the disease typically attacked the lungs in three phases: viral replication, immune hyper-reactivity, and pulmonary destruction. At the starting spark of an infection, the novel coronavirus rapidly battles human lung cells. These lung cells appear in two groups: ones that make mucus and ones with hair-like batons namely cilia. Mucus helps protect lung tissue from harmful pathogens and makes sure your breathing organ does not dry out. The cilia cells are around the mucus, clearing out debris like pollen or viruses.

The earliest studies on COVID-19 have illustrated that many patients develop pneumonia in both lungs, accompanied by symptoms like shortness of breath. That is when phase two and the immune system begins. Aroused by the existence of a viral invader, our bodies gear up to fight the disease by flooding the lungs with immune cells to clear away the damage and repair the lung tissue. This inflammatory process is firmly regulated and restricted only to infected areas. But occasionally your immune system goes haywire and those cells have the ability to kill anything that comes in their way, including your healthy tissue. During the third phase, lung damage continues to build—which can result in respiratory failure. Even if death does not occur, patients survive with permanent lung damage.

According to the WHO, SARS engraved holes in the lungs, giving them “a honeycomb-like appearance”—and these tears are present in those victimized by novel coronavirus, too. These holes are likely created by the immune system’s hyperactive response, which creates scars that both protect and stiffen the lungs.

 “In severe cases, you basically flood your lungs, and you can’t breathe,” Dr. Frieman from University of Maryland of Medicine says. “That’s how people are dying.”