2020/05/05
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/05/genetics-in-focus-after-coronavirus-deaths-of-siblings-and-twins
Genetics in focus after coronavirus deaths of siblings and twins
Recent deaths have stood out, but scientists say they must be interpreted with caution
Ian Sample Science editor
@iansample
Tue 5 May 2020 21.17 AEST Last modified on Tue 5 May 2020 21.29 AEST
![【新型コロナと遺伝子】２組の兄弟と２組の双子が、それぞれ数時間〜数日以内に死亡 研究者「遺伝子の新型コロナへの影響は５０％」 [みつを★]->画像>2枚](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b2ea4fa4e83fe82233440fdef91aeb49fde7393a/0_59_1280_768/master/1280.jpg)
;quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ef72db11a45291a0e414feb4fa7f8424 Twin sisters Katy (left) and Emma Davis
Amid the steady stream of stories on the lives lost to coronavirus are cases that stand out as remarkable. In the past month, at least two pairs of twins have died in Britain and two pairs of brothers, all within hours or days of each other. But do the deaths point to genetic factors that make some more likely than others to succumb to the disease?
Most scientists believe that genes play a role in how people respond to infections. A person’s genetic makeup may influence the receptors that the coronavirus uses to invade human cells. How resilient the person is to the infection, their general health, and how the immune system reacts will also have some genetic component.
A team led by Prof Tim Spector, head of twin research and genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, has reported that Covid-19 symptoms appear to be 50% genetic. But Spector said more work is needed to understand which genes are involved and what difference they make to the course of the disease. “We don’t know if there are genes linked to the receptors or genes linked to how the infection presents,” he said.
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