Mild infection courses in the Omikron variant may also be due to a special weakness of the virus: unlike its predecessor variants, omikron reacts sensitively to a defense mechanism of the cell, the so-called interferon response. This is evident from experiments with cell cultures for which a group of scientists compared infections with the omicron variant with those of the Delta variant.
As the team led by Denisa Bojkova from the Goethe University in Frankfurt in the journal "Cell Reports", the test showed that the cells with the help of their interferons brake the virus in its increase. Interferons are formed by the cell when a viral infection has occurred and in turn starts other defense mechanisms. Earlier variants of Sars-Cov-2 have effectively paralyzed this interferon response, for example by preventing the cell from producing the alarms.
The Omyron variant seems to have lost this ability in part, which is why it is probably more efficiently combated by the body. This explains for the first time why patients infected with the Omyron variant are often less severely ill, the team writes in a press release.
In addition, the study showed that eight important antiviral active ingredients that are developed or already approved to treat Covid-19 inhibit the new omicron variant effectively. Eidd-1931 (a metabolic product of Molnupiravir), Ribavirin, Remdesivir, Favipravir, PF-07321332 (Nirmatrelvir, a Paxlovid component) as well as the protease inhibitors Nafamostat, Camostat and Asprinine. They all showed similar effects against the omicron variant as against the delta variant.
