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scientist have discovered the induction that makesinflammationspiral out of control for some children after a COVID-19 contagion .

It turns out , the immune organization mistakes a protein made in most parts of the consistence as foreign because it mime one that forms part of SARS - CoV-2 , the computer virus that causesCOVID-19 .

A young girl lies sleeping in a hospital bed with a breathing tube in her nostrils

Scientists may have pinned down a key reason some kids developed a dramatic immune reaction while recovering from COVID-19, particularly before the advent of vaccines.

The condition , calledmultisystem rabble-rousing syndrome in children(MIS - C ) , wasfirst identified early in the pandemicin a minor percent of child who recovered from COVID-19 .

Many of these children were ab initio symptomless during a bout with the viral infection but , two to six weeks later , had life - threatening , runaway inflammation in the heart , mental capacity , skin , blood or digestive system .

Related : uncommon clotting effect of early COVID shots finally explained

illustration of a measles virus particle depicted in blue, plum and grey

MIS - C always comeswith a febrility , but it can also cause helplessness , dizziness , tum pain or blizzard .

Until recently , scientist were n’t certain exactly how COVID-19 and MIS - C were linked or why the resistant organisation might turn on the soundbox after an contagion . To see what drives inflammation in MIS - C , researchers profiled the resistant systems of 199 youngster with MIS - C and 45 who recover without developing the condition .

The study , published Aug. 7 in the journalNature , revealed 30 autoantibodies — antibodies that target a person ’s own organic structure instead of a foreign encroacher — that were present in patients with MIS - C but not in those without the condition .

Close up of a medical professional holding a syringe drawing vaccine from a vial to prepare for injection.

The autoantibodies with the unassailable profile targeted a protein call SNX8 , which is get in almost every part of the body because of its role insorting and channelise moleculeswithin cells .

It turned out that part of the coronavirus ' " nucleocapsid protein " intimately resembles the part of SNX8 that ’s targeted by these autoantibodies . The nucleocapsid protein is part of the computer virus ' verboten shell , which incase its inherited material . This law of similarity lift the possibility that , in some patients , the immune system was mistaking SNX8 for its SARS - CoV-2 lookalike and , therefore , was attack tissue that expressed it .

To buttress this hypothesis , the squad studied T cell , which recognize and pour down virus - infected cells in the body , from patient with and without MIS - C. Only T cells from MIS - C patients reacted to both SARS - CoV-2 and SNX8 , supporting the mistaken - personal identity hypothesis . The discovery may tender unexampled approach to diagnose the condition going forward .

Sickle cell anaemia. Artwork showing normal red blood cells (round), and red blood cells affected by sickle cell anaemia (crescent shaped). This is a disease in which the red blood cells contain an abnormal form of haemoglobin (bloods oxygen-carrying pigment) that causes the blood cells to become sickle-shaped, rather than round. Sickle cells cannot move through small blood vessels as easily as normal cells and so can cause blockages (right). This prevents oxygen from reaching the tissues, causing severe pain and organ damage.

However , SNX8 is unbelievable to be the whole level behind MIS - C.

" We consider a bit of rare factors add up together to allow someone to get MIS - C , " aged authorJoseph DeRisi , a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California , San Francisco ( UCSF ) , told Live Science . " Antibodies are one part of that but not the only part . "

Either agency , MIS - C is much less of a problem than it once was .

a doctor talks to a patient

— Newfound autoimmune syndrome tie to COVID-19 can trigger off baneful lung scarring

— Most kids with inflammatory COVID-19 syndrome are recovered by 6 month

— Mysterious inflammatory syndrome bind to COVID-19 hit adult as well as kids

An illustration of particles of the measles virus in red and white against a dark background.

" The enchanting thing is that MIS - C has largely vanished , except in children who are unvaccinated or whose vaccinum have wan , " saidDr . Aaron Bodansky , study first author and a paediatric decisive attention fellow at UCSF . " If you predispose the resistant organization [ to SARS - CoV-2 ] by vaccinating , it wo n’t have as much time to develop this strange response . "

However , declining vaccination rates with new , updated COVID-19 vaccines may betoken trouble forwards . " I guess that ’s a serious concern , " DeRisi said . " If that tendency goes up , I expect we would see MIS - C gain . "

For now , they aim to use their study as a example to interpret otherautoimmune or inflammatory conditionsthat may be triggered by viral infection , likediabetesormultiple sclerosis .

An electron microscope image showing myelin insulating nerve fibers

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer aesculapian advice .

Ever wonder whysome mass build sinew more easy than othersorwhy freckles add up out in the sun ? place us your questions about how the human organic structure works tocommunity@livescience.comwith the subject line of descent " Health Desk Q , " and you may see your question answered on the website !

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