Two nose cells have been identified as the first points at which Covid-19 enters the human body.
Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK and several other universities have found that these cells contain high levels of the protein that coronavirus uses to get into the body.
Other entry points include cells in the eye and in the lower intestine.
The discovery may help understand better how coronavirus spreads and even develop medicine to treat the virus, the scientists say.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, which funds the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: “Researchers around the world are working at an unprecedented pace to deepen our understanding of Covid-19, and this new research is testament to this.
"Collaborating across borders and openly sharing research is crucial to developing effective diagnostics, treatments and vaccines quickly, ensuring no country is left behind.”
Alongside the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the research was carried out by the University Medical Centre Groningen in the Netherlands, University Cote d’Azur and the French National Centre for Scientific Research, as well as various other collaborators, as part of the Human Cell Atlas Lung Biological Network.
Dr Martijn Nawijn, from the University Medical Centre Groningen in the Netherlands, said: “This is the first time these particular cells in the nose have been associated with Covid-19.
“While there are many factors that contribute to virus transmissibility, our findings are consistent with the rapid infection rates of the virus seen so far.
“The location of these cells on the surface of the inside of the nose make them highly accessible to the virus, and also may assist with transmission to other people.”
