Saturday, April 11, 2020 The scientist from the Universidad de Playa Ancha, , explained to La Estrella de Valparaíso why hand washing is so important to stop the coronavirus. Below is a transcript of the article. This part of our body is the main bridge to reach the entry route of the coronavirus into our organism: the respiratory system. We have learned many things since the first positive case of covid-19, but undoubtedly the most basic and that long before we knew about coronavirus should already be incorporated into the daily hygiene routine, is hand washing. But why so much emphasis on an action that seems so basic and even irrelevant? Roberto Orellana, an agricultural engineer from the University of Chile and PhD in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts, explains how the structure of this contagious virus acts and how such a basic action as washing hands with soap and water can make the difference between being healthy or sick. -The coronavirus has a lipid coating, and inside it has RNA. These membranes are packed with proteins that allow the viruses to infect cells. Coronaviruses invade cells through so-called “spike” proteins, which can have different forms in different types of corona viruses and are the most abundant surface proteins they use to bind to a receptor on human cells. After the virus RNA enters human cells, infection develops. Orellana specifies that the lipid coating of the coronavirus causes this to transform into a kind of micelle. “A micelle is like when you have a glass with water and you pour a drop of oil… the oil remains there: that is exactly a micelle and that is exactly what the coronavirus has that serves as protection and also has the capacity to stick to things and to be able to transport itself faster”, explains the academic of the LaBCEM (Laboratory of Cell Biology and Microbial Ecophysiology) of the Universidad de Playa Ancha. The researcher also associated to the Biotechnology Center “Dr. Daniel Alkalay L.” of the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, and who also develops research in soils contaminated with hydrocarbons and in ecology of viruses in aquatic ecosystems, explains that coronaviruses reside mainly in cells of the respiratory tract. -Because of this, respiratory hygiene has been instilled, such as when coughing or sneezing, protecting oneself at the elbow, as well as basic hand hygiene, such as washing hands with soap and water. Commonly used soaps are composed of antipathic molecules that are very effective in foaming. These molecules are structurally very similar to corona-virus lipids in their coverage and possess one hydrophilic (water soluble) and one hydrophobic (water repelling) end. Due to their very similar properties, these molecules compete with the lipids present in the virus, which leads to their disruption, leaving the virus without infectious capacity. Roberto Orellana points out that alcohol is also a substance that destroys the envelope protein that surrounds some viruses, including coronaviruses.
However, he explains that “alcohol-based hand sanitizer should be at least 60% alcohol to kill most viruses. It is important to emphasize that the use of products such as alcohol gel is only a replacement when hand washing cannot be performed, since the latter offers the possibility of carrying away viral particles that have not been destroyed”.
