A new study conducted by a genetic testing company has revealed than an individual’s blood type or blood group may affect their susceptibility to coronavirus disease.

The study, conducted by 23andMe, suggests that people with Blood Type O appear to be at the least risk of suffering from COVID-19. The study, which has not yet been finished, involved 750,000 participants.

The participants also include about 10,000 people who said that they are COVID-19 positive. An initial analysis revealed that people with Blood Type O are at less risk of getting coronavirus infection.

The researchers found that people with Blood Type O were between 9 to 18 percent less likely to test positive for novel coronavirus as compared to the other blood groups. The difference among the other blood types, however, did not vary much.

The study only looked at the susceptibility of coronavirus and not at the severity of COVID-19 in people of different blood groups.

The findings of the study did not age even when other parameters such as body mass index, weight, age, ethnicity, and pre-existing conditions were taken into account. Even when the data was narrowed down to first responders and health care workers, the study results did hold.

One of the previous studies reported that Blood Group O has a protective effect in people who are rhesus positive (O+). However, the 23and Me study found that Blood Type O had protective effects irrespective of the rhesus factor, that is, both O+ and O- Blood Types proved to be equally protective.

The study findings support the preliminary genetic investigation conducted by the company. By comparing the genetic sequences associated with blood group in people who reported positive and those who reported negative. The researchers identified a variant in the ABO gene associated with a lower risk.

The data from both the studies conducted by 23andMe supports the findings of two recently published studies conducted by researchers in Spain and Italy. These studies explored the role of the ABO gene in COVID-19. While the study conducted by 23andMe looked at the susceptibility, the two previous types of research looked at the association between severity of COVID-19 illness and the blood group type.

Electron Microscopy of Coronavirus
This is an Electron Microscopy of Coronavirus. Murphy Medical Associates

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