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COVID-19 also directly infects the oral cavity



COVID-19 directly infects the oral cavity PHOTO: Reuters


The new coronavirus infects cells in the mouth and saliva, which is why some people experience symptoms such as loss of taste, dryness and rashes in the mouth, Maylonline reported.

The oral cavity also plays a role in transmitting the virus to the lungs and digestive system through saliva. All this has been established by American specialists from the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research in the United States.

“Our study, which reveals the potentially underestimated role of the oral cavity in the infection with the new coronavirus, may reveal new lines of research and a better understanding of the ways in which the disease is transmitted and progressed,” said study leader Blake Warner of the institute.

The ability of the virus to infect various parts and organs of the body may explain the broad-spectrum symptoms in patients with COVID-19, BTA reported.

Scientists know that the new coronavirus can be found in saliva, but it was not known how it penetrated there. In patients with COVID-19 and symptoms such as cough, the virus in saliva is thought to occur through nasal drainage. But this does not explain how the virus ends up in the saliva of patients who do not have respiratory symptoms.

Scientists have found RNA from two key proteins with which the virus enters the body, in a specific type of cells in the salivary glands and the tissues covering the oral cavity. Their presence indicates the vulnerability of these tissues after the virus uses the proteins contained in them to infect.

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