The Common Cold and Coronaviruses: Some Past Research

So I've been doing a bit of reading this morning and thought I might share some of what I found here on ATS. This is going to be a thread covering some of the existing scientific literature on the common cold, specifically, coronaviruses, but as rhinovirus and coronavirus infections are clinically indistinguishable in their symptoms, the literature tends to lump them all together...well it did until last year anyway.

Coronaviruses are extremely common. So common, we typically call the disease they cause, the common cold. Prior to 2020, research on coronaviruses, including during the MERS and SARS outbreaks, was done under the context of the common cold as, whether caused by a Coronavirus, adenovirus, rhinovirus or parainfluenza virus, the symptoms caused are extremely similar, to the point where they cannot be clinically distinguished from each other.

The point of this thread is to show how much of this has been overblown simply by the use of another name and unfortunately, many people's general ignorance about the common cold.

It's also to put some context out there for coronaviruses in general. Plenty of research existed on them prior to 2020 and even prior to SARS, it just kind of goes unnoticed unless you're reading research on the common cold.

None of this is groundbreaking or anything, I just find it's nice to have a source of summarized information easily available.

I'm going to throw the links at the top here because this might get long.

The Common Cold: A Review of the Literature[1]

Update on Human Rhinovirus and Coronavirus Infections[2]

Understanding the Symptoms of the Common Cold and Influenza[3]

Vaccines for the Common Cold[4]

So to start, a bit of background on the common cold.

[1]

The common cold is the most commonly encountered infectious syndrome of human beings. Most observers consider colds to include symptoms of rhinitis with variable degrees of pharyngitis, but the major associated symptoms include nasal stuffiness and discharge, sneezing, sore throat, cough and hoarse voice. Patients frequently report chills, but significant high temperature is unusual. Colds are usually self-limiting to previously healthy individuals, but there are also recognised complications such as secondary bacterial infections, exacerbations of asthma , chronic obstructive airways disease and cystic fibrosis

Although the term “common cold” tends to imply that there is a single cause for the illness, it is, in fact, caused by anyone of a large number of antigenetically distinct viruses

[1]

[1]

[1]

Coronavirus accounts for 7–26% of all upper respiratory tract infections in adults

An important feature of coronavirus infection is the short-lived immunity, resulting in a high reinfection rate . The mode of transmission of coronavirus is most likely due to aerosol inhalation. However, it does not grow well at all in cell culture, and therefore, its virology is not fully appreciated. Recently, a novel coronavirus, SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), has been proposed as the cause for the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

That bolded section I found interesting. It seems a Coronavirus was only ever proposed to be the cause of SARS. It's always talked about like absolute fact.

[1]

The virus induces symptoms of atypical pneumonia, clinically indistinguishable from similar syndromes

So coronaviruses cause symptoms that are clinically indistinguishable from similar syndromes. As in, it's clinically impossible to distinguish between an infection by a Coronavirus, rhinovirus etc.

There are two distinct groups of coronaviruses that infect humans: HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43. They are distinct from each other by the structural proteins as demonstrated by immunoelectrophoresis and enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assay (ELISA), despite being similar in charges and molecular weights [46], [47]. HCoV-229E utilises human aminopeptidase N (hAPN) as a receptor to gain entry into the respiratory epithelium. hAPN is a 150-kDa zinc-binding protein with endopeptidase activity. In experimental studies, when human cell cultures are pretreated with monoclonal antibodies against hAPN, viral infection appears blocked

Reinfection of coronavirus is common, though the underlying reason is not clearly defined. It may be due to infection with closely related but different strains [51] or to a reduction in immunity over time [21]. Volunteers who are seropositive to coronavirus prior to intranasal challenge are not completely protected from symptom development

Some info on zinc tucked in there. Considering coronaviruses utilize a zinc binding receptor to gain entry I thought this was interesting.

[1]

Zinc has been shown to possess antiviral properties in vitro, and different preparations of zinc have been proposed for the treatment of the common cold. Zinc lozenges appeared to have positive effects on adults, but negative effects on children in terms of duration and severity of common cold symptoms

Updates on rhinoviruses and coronaviruses made over the 10 years following the first paper.

[2]

More than 50% of all common colds are caused by human rhinoviruses (HRVs) and coronaviruses (HCoVs).

In the past 10 years, several new HRVs and HCoVs have been identified.16 17 18 In addition, recent studies have provided a better understanding of the pathogenesis of these viral infections which could lead to more specific treatments

I'm going to skip over the HRV section and focus on the HCoV section which is the relevant part for this thread. I do recommend reading it for yourself though.

[2]

In epidemiologic studies in adults, coronaviruses were estimated to cause 15% of adult common colds. Coronaviruses were found to cause epidemics every 2 to 3 years with reinfections being common. All ages are susceptible. From epidemiologic studies, coronaviruses were found to be associated with respiratory illnesses, usually in the upper respiratory tract, but occasionally causing pneumonia.

Coronaviruses are hard to detect, being aware of this, the WHO set up some stringent standards for confirming a SARS-CoV infection, during the SARS outbreak.

[2]

Coronaviruses require special cell lines or organ culture for detection by cultivation methods.230 These cell or organ culture techniques are labor intensive, time consuming, and relatively insensitive

To confirm SARS-CoV infection, the WHO criteria require detection of viral RNA by PCR, increase in antibody titers in body fluids, or isolation of SARS-CoV from clinical isolates.232 Laboratory diagnostic methods for SARS-CoV include (1) viral RNA detection using RT-PCR, (2) immunofluoroscent antibody and  (3) ELISA. Virus isolation is less sensitive than these other methods and requires a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) facility

Sounds reasonable. For fun, let's check out what the WHO requires to confirm a covid diagnosis.

...in the next post

www.who.int...

In most situations, a molecular test is used to detect SARS-CoV-2 and confirm infection. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most commonly used molecular test. Samples are collected from the nose and/or throat with a swab. Molecular tests detect virus in the sample by amplifying viral genetic material to detectable levels. For this reason, a molecular test is used to confirm an active infection,

Funny, that seems to contradict what we learned about coronaviruses above and seems to be a step back from their earlier more rigorous standards

Let's just go into the symptoms of common colds for a bit here. For those who have only heard of cytokines and possible long term damaged caused through covid infections, you may be surprised to learn, this has been found to explain many of the symptoms of the common cold including the negative long term effects that can occur.

The symptoms of the common cold are essentially identical to the symptoms of covid-19, including age groups for patients at risk and occasional long term extended symptoms.

[3]

The symptoms of URTIs are triggered in response to the viral infection of the upper airway and the immune response to infection may be the main factor in generating the symptoms, rather than damage to the airway

The surface of the macrophage exhibits toll-like receptors that combine with the components of viral and bacterial pathogens and trigger the production of cytokines. The cytokines act to recruit other immune cells, trigger inflammation, and generate systemic symptoms such as fever.A complex mix of proinflammatory cytokines and mediators generates the symptoms of URTIs. The inflammatory mediator bradykinin is believed to have a major role in generating the local symptoms of URTIs (eg, sore throat and nasal congestion) and cytokines are believed to be responsible for the systemic symptoms (eg, fever)

So a bit now into vaccine work on common colds over the years.

[2]

Vaccine design for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV has focused on the development of chimeric spike glycoproteins containing neutralizing epitopes from multiple strains within or across subgroups.261 262 263 264 265 266 267 Inclusion of nucleocapsid protein in chimeric vaccines could broaden the protective response. The S protein is the major determinant of protective immunity.

Antibodies against S protein appeared to protect from SARS-CoV challenges in animal studies. N protein-specific immune response provides little protection and only cross-react within, but not between, subgroups. Thus, there are no approved vaccines for MERS or any of the CoVs. The use of convalescent-phase plasma or immune globulin with high titers of neutralizing antibody has not been evaluated in randomized controlled trials

I'm going to cut right to the chase with this one. From a review of all vaccine trials for viruses that cause the common cold, the reviewers came to the conclusion that

[4]

We found insufficient evidence to support the use of vaccines for the common cold. Prescription of virus vaccines for preventing the common cold in healthy people can neither be supported nor rejected, unless new evidence from large, high‐quality trials alters this conclusion. 

Just to summarize some of the main points I hope people can take away from this

- Coronavirus infections are extremely common

- Symptoms from Coronavirus infections are not clinically distinguishable from symptoms caused by infections of other cold causing

- Coronaviruses are difficult to detect properly and difficult to distinguish from rhinoviruses, adenoviruses and parainfluenza viruses using PCR alone

-The WHO during the SARS epidemic acknowledged this and had comparatively high standards for a confirmation of diagnoses, standards which are not being used for covid.

- Vaccine work on Coronaviruses along with other cold causing viruses has been mostly not very effective. RNA viruses in general are hard to make vaccines for as they mutate readily.

-The S protein on coronaviruses makes it especially difficult to gain protective immunity and why there were no approved vaccines for diseases caused by Coronaviruses

-The COCHRANE acute respiratory infections group conducted one of the only literature reviews of existing vaccine trials for viruses that cause the common cold and found insufficient evidence to support the use of vaccines for the common cold and recommends we need data from large, high quality trials before any recommendations should be made for or against such a vaccine.

l don't think it is good for children to to the vaccine

a reply to: dug88

Very interesting stuff you have here. I have another reason we should not be bothering to vaccinate against human Rhino Virus (HRV), looks like getting a good old does of HRV will trigger an interferon response which in turns stops SAR-Cov-2 from replicating. It also doesn't matter which infection happened first, the HRV will stop SAR-COV-2. Makes me wonder if getting common colds act like vaccinations against other viruses out there (they still don't know all the viruses that cause common cold responses).

'Human rhinovirus infection blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication...'

originally posted by: Dae
a reply to: dug88

.... I have another reason we should not be bothering to vaccinate against human Rhino Virus (HRV), looks like getting a good old does of HRV will trigger an interferon response which in turns stops SAR-Cov-2 from replicating. It also doesn't matter which infection happened first, the HRV will stop SAR-COV-2. Makes me wonder if getting common colds act like vaccinations against other viruses out there (they still don't know all the viruses that cause common cold responses).

No, it doesn’t. And an infection of HRV suppresses the replication of SAR-COV-2 while the HRV is inside you but does nothing to confer immunity after the HRV is gone, if that’s what you were thinking.

a reply to: 1947boomer

I was "wondering" that is all. My wondering will NoT uNdErMiNe ThE vAcCiNe.

Ok another thought. You get ill, test positive for SAR-cov-2, nurse comes by with a nasal spray that gives you a dose of HRV, give it 4 - 8 hours and bad virus is stopped and you get a cold. Proceed to cuddle up in bed with Lemsip and not die.

a reply to: 1947boomer

Any thoughts on the OP?

Because it’s clearly irrefutable proof this entire country (and world) has been run into the dirt, and has destroyed countless livelihoods....... because of the “common cold” (with a different name)...

If only sense was as common as the cold..... we would be much better off, but I guess ignorance is bliss.

The new slogan here should be #DenyStupidity because ignorance isn’t a choice anymore after you know the truth lol

Good thread. I have read almost all of this in many articles over the years over and over. I just comment about this stuff, I don't really care to start threads like this, I had a problem with attracting shills and trolls so I just make quirky threads now...

Nice job on the evidence here, also remember that some of the common colds attack Cancer in the body too, so there is some protection incurred by some viruses that helps us. Will this vaccine also cause a loss of a protective virus, there are many thousands of viruses and many are symbiotic with us and help us fight things. The flu virus does not protect us much against anything other that it stimulates innate immunity which might actually have secondary beneficial side effects.

I do not know what this vaccine will change in our bodies, it could be safe in the long term or it could be detrimental in some immune process or it could shuffle our immune system away from fighting off other microbes or cancer. I do not see nearly as much unknowns with the Johnson vaccine but do with the mRNA ones. So I stay mute, but I cannot take these vaccines myself because of past reactions to some vaccines and to some of the chemicals included in both. I am not allergic to eggs either, I eat lots of eggs and eat cholines which do not give me any problems.

a reply to: rickymouse

Our bodies are more awesome than we seem to give them credit for these days. Our immune systems, when our bodies are healthy and recieving the adequate nutrients and vitamins are amazing. We've evolved over millions of years to deal with the pathogens around us. Most of our pandemics and disease epidemics throughout history come from novel diseases our immune systems aren't equipped to deal with. Whether localized or global or whatever.

The stronger our immune systems are, which pretty much means, the more our bodies have all the things they need to function properly, the better we'll be able to fight diseases.

Our bodies are made of cells, cells are made of lipids and proteins, they have processes by which they function and by extension, we function. Those processes require nutrients. Vitamins, minerals, some metals other things we're still learning about. We get those things from the food we eat and the substances that enter our bodies.

Regulating what enters our bodies , in regards to nutrients, vitamins and other such things entering us through the things we imbibe, is literally the number one step towards fighting any disease or malady. It's sadly, however, despite being so fundamental, often, the last thing that's looked at in much medical research.

originally posted by: SeektoUnderstand
a reply to: 1947boomer

Any thoughts on the OP?

Because it’s clearly irrefutable proof this entire country (and world) has been run into the dirt, and has destroyed countless livelihoods....... because of the “common cold” (with a different name)...

If only sense was as common as the cold..... we would be much better off, but I guess ignorance is bliss.

The new slogan here should be #DenyStupidity because ignorance isn’t a choice anymore after you know the truth lol

Wait till you find out there is no such thing as a virus and all colds and flus are coming from one single causality...a Pleomorphic Bacteria functioning in viral size and travelling between humans in fluidic conduits.

originally posted by: dug88
a reply to: rickymouse

Our bodies are more awesome than we seem to give them credit for these days. Our immune systems, when our bodies are healthy and recieving the adequate nutrients and vitamins are amazing. We've evolved over millions of years to deal with the pathogens around us. Most of our pandemics and disease epidemics throughout history come from novel diseases our immune systems aren't equipped to deal with. Whether localized or global or whatever.

The stronger our immune systems are, which pretty much means, the more our bodies have all the things they need to function properly, the better we'll be able to fight diseases.

Our bodies are made of cells, cells are made of lipids and proteins, they have processes by which they function and by extension, we function. Those processes require nutrients. Vitamins, minerals, some metals other things we're still learning about. We get those things from the food we eat and the substances that enter our bodies.

Regulating what enters our bodies , in regards to nutrients, vitamins and other such things entering us through the things we imbibe, is literally the number one step towards fighting any disease or malady. It's sadly, however, despite being so fundamental, often, the last thing that's looked at in much medical research.

Our immune system is made up of working bacteria....lacto-fermented foods will top these up nicely.

It has nothing to do with Coronaviruses!
It is all about Control by Fear.
and it is working, mostly...

I remember reading about China's SARS-CoV-1 vaccines. I recall they had two vaccines, one that was "active" and one that was "inactive" that they developed in 2006 and started handing out in 2007. Six months after handing out the vaccine they discovered that a high percentage of men who received the vaccine had developed testicle lesions. These lesions resulted in long duration or permanent sperm count reduction to the point of infertility; the lesions are also commonly found in testicle cancer patients.

I can remember reading about the China history of their SARS-CoV-1 vaccine, but for the life of me can not find any of the studies or articles today. If anyone has any suggestions on where to look today to find data on that please let me know. I am 100% certain that China developed a vaccine for SARS-CoV-1, handed it out, and 6 months later stopped because of the side effects on male reproduction.