Open AccessCould the CCR5-Δ32 Mutation be Protective in SARS-CoV-2 Infection?
Author(s) -
Nada Starčević Čizmarević,
Miljenko Kapović,
Dobrica Rončević,
Smiljana Ristič
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
physiological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1802-9973
pISSN - 0862-8408
DOI - 10.33549/physiolres.934725
Subject(s) - covid-19 , population , allele , proinflammatory cytokine , biology , mutation , immunology , virology , medicine , genetics , gene , inflammation , disease , environmental health , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Increasing evidence points to host genetics as a factor in COVID-19 prevalence and outcome. CCR5 is a receptor for proinflammatory chemokines that are involved in host responses, especially to viruses. The CCR5-Δ32 minor allele is an interesting variant, given the role of CCR5 in some viral infections, particularly HIV-1. Recent studies of the impact of CCR5-Δ32 on COVID-19 risk and severity have yielded contradictory results. This ecologic study shows that the CCR5-Δ32 allelic frequency in a European population was significantly negatively correlated with the number of COVID-19 cases (p=0.035) and deaths (p=0.006) during the second pandemic wave. These results suggest that CCR5-Δ32 may be protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection, as it is against HIV infection, and could be predictive of COVID-19 risk and severity. Further studies based on samples from populations of different genetic backgrounds are needed to validate these statistically obtained findings.