The phrase “survival of the fittest” first appeared in the fifth edition of Charles Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species published in the year 1869, suggests that organisms which adjust to their environment best, survive successfully and reproduces more offspring. Organisms with the genes that trigger a proper immune response, or best suited to the environment, survive while passing these genes to the next generation. Therefore, when a new infection breaks out, the process of natural selection begins all over again. In the case of the coronavirus pandemic, survival depends mostly on the patient’s immune response.
For example, In a recent study published in medRxiv, It has been found that Blood type could be a factor to influence COVID-19 risk. Researchers have recognized two variants of the human gene, which can be responsible for making people more prone to lung failure- a critical driver of mortality during the COVID-19 infection. Of the two genes, one variant is responsible for determining blood groups. An increased risk of lung failures is associated with the Blood type A+, whereas O blood type seems to be somewhat protected.
Our immune response mainly consists of two phases- phase 1 and phase 2. The balance between these two phases is a critical factor for an efficient immune response.
Once an infectious agent enters the body, it begins with phase 1- promoting inflammation, where an army of immune cells gets into the site of infection to destroy the foreign body.
After which comes the phase 2, in which T cells suppress inflammation to allow the infected tissues to heal. People with an inefficient response in the first phase can lead to an exponential growth of the infectious agent, may it be a virus or bacteria. Whereas, deficiency in the second phase can cause intense inflammation, resulting in tissue damage and death.
The new coronavirus, with no drugs yet to cure, the recovery of an individual is mostly dependent upon their immune response. Even the highly publicized drug hydroxychloroquine found out to be futile. Recently, a study funded by the U.K. government called “RECOVERY”, looked into the fact and the truth. The trial consisted of 4,674 individuals, among which 1,542 received hydroxychloroquine and 3,132 with the regular care. After 28 days, the researchers found that 25.7% of those on hydroxychloroquine and 23.5% of those on usual care had died. These indicate that individuals on hydroxychloroquine showed no significant result. Therefore, the myth that the use of provisional celebrity-drug hydroxychloroquine can reduce the risk of death among patients with Covid-19 must be shaken-off from the minds of medical personals. For now, the only choice left with every single individual is to keep themselves on top of the fittest organism.