The Blood Type Determines The Risk Of Catching Gastroenteritis

Eating according to your blood type is a practice that has gained in popularity in recent years and is intended to be very beneficial for general health. However, a new discovery made by a team of immunologists shows that the blood type can also determine the risk of catching gastroenteritis.

What is the relationship between blood group and gastroenteritis?

Also known as stomach flu, the gastroenteritis epidemic that started at the beginning of the year continues to plague France with all its force. Indeed, it is norovirus which is responsible for the alarming symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and mild fever. A super contagious virus, it is transmitted quickly especially in confined spaces, and has therefore caused the closure of many schools across the country.

For your information, norovirus is very resistant and can even survive freezing temperatures and temperatures up to 60 ° C. It can also linger on surfaces or on our hands for hours. Not to mention it stays on food for days. In these cases, the alcohol-based disinfectants so popularized literally do nothing.

And despite the resistant and highly infectious nature of this type of virus, a discovery recently presented by researchers reveals that the risk of contracting norovirus depends on the individual's blood group.

This is because, once caught, the norovirus attacks only the cells of the small intestine. Unfortunately, doctors have yet to understand how the infection then triggers the symptoms of gastroenteritis. But once the person is exposed, it is particularly the blood type that determines whether they will get sick. So how exactly does it work?

It turns out that the explanation is not that complex at all. Oligosaccharides, which are found on the surface of red blood cells, also appear on cells in the small intestine. And norovirus uses these oligosaccharides in particular to infect intestinal cells.

However, oligosaccharides have a fairly specific structure that determines whether a given virus can cause symptoms. So, it is the H1 antigen whose presence is necessary for the appearance of an infection. People who do not make it and those with blood group B are resistant to many strains of norovirus.