Introduction and Objective: Coronaviruses have been implicated in a wide spectrum of respiratory diseases, with certain strains exerting mild respiratory effects (HKU1, NL63, 229E, OC43) and others causing severe respiratory distress (SARS-COV, MERS-COV). The novel strain, SARS-COV-2, has inflicted substantial severity of illness worldwide within a compressed time frame of three months. Although COVID-19 mortality rates are lower than MERS and SARS, the broad scope of the pandemic has resulted in a higher total number of fatalities. Emerging evidence points towards genetic predisposition influencing individual susceptibility and the course of SARS-COV-2 infection. This research aims to assess the frequency and potential correlation of cytosine nucleotide deletion (Del C) in the polymorphism rs35074065 among individuals with varying degrees of SARS-COV-2 infection severity.
Materials and Methods: The study involved the collection of peripheral blood samples from 122 severe and 100 mild COVID-19 patients. To further elucidate the correlation, an additional 100 samples were incorporated from a healthy control group, comprising both blood and saliva samples. The collection spanned four months from male and female residents of Bushehr County and was executed following ethical approval (IR.BPUMS.REC.1401.096) from Persian Gulf hospitals and social security. DNA was extracted from leukocytes and saliva using the chloroform method. The DelC allele type for all subjects was identified through PCR and sequencing conducted by the Topaz Gene Company in Karaj. The associations between the DelC allele and severe COVID-19 infection were evaluated using SPSS software with a significance level set at p<0.05.
Results: A higher frequency of the Del C allele with polymorphism rs35074065 was discerned in the severe COVID-19 patient group compared to the mild COVID-19 patient group (Sig= 0.0020, P<0.05). The prevalence of Del C in the mild patient group and the control group were not sig