CHENNAI: A team of researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), Jadavpur University and Northwestern University has performed a study to understand the mechanism of transmission of Covid-19 virus from nose and throat to the lower respiratory tract.
“The study shows how the virus spread into lungs and cause serious illnesses along with ways to prevent it. The researchers used mathematical models to show how the virus that infects the mucous lining of the respiratory tract spreads as droplets into the lungs, thereby causing serious illnesses,” said a statement issued by the Institute.
Researchers all over the world have been trying to understand how the Covid-19 virus spreads from nose and throat to the lungs. An idea has been proposed that the virus might move through mucus in the respiratory system but this would take too long. Another idea is that the virus might enter the bloodstream and travel to the lungs but this is also not satisfactory.
Another theory is that people might inhale mucus droplets containing the virus deeper into the lungs through the nose and throat. The team of researchers looked into all these issues while taking up this study.
The research study was a collaboration between Alumni and Corporate Relations Dean of IIT Madras Mahesh Pachagnula; Professor of department of nuclear studies and application of Jadavpur Universtity Aranyak Chakravarty and Mechanical engineering professor of Northwestern University Neelesh A Patankar.
The findings of the study were published in an open-source journal ‘Frontiers in Physiology’. Two main results of the study was that use of medicines to control sneezing and coughing can help prevent the formation of infected mucous droplets in the nose and throat and their transmission into deep lungs, and that Covid- 19 vaccination can help in preventing pneumonia and other serious lung diseases.
Panchagnula said: “Our model showed that pneumonia and other lung distress can occur within 2.5 to seven days after the first symptoms of Covid-19 infection occur. This happens when the infected mucous droplets are transported from the nose and throat to the lungs.” Patankar said, “This finding reinforces the importance of vaccination in preventing severe infection. Vaccines help the body make special cells called B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes (or memory cells), which suppress virus multiplication while B lymphocytes generate antibodies that destroy the virus.”