Why Only People and Apes are Ill with Common Cold? The Possible Role of Chromosomal Q-Heterochromatin Variability

摘要

Common cold (CC) is referred to the most widespread human illnesses and affects people all over the globe. Till now there is no standard theory explaining the development mechanism(s) of СС. The etiology of the CC is known - over 200 virus strains are implicated in the cause of the common cold; the rhinoviruses are the most common. As for pathogenesis, it is conventional, that cold plays the important role in development of СС. It is believed that cooling causes blood circulatory disturbance and permeability of vessels that consequently deteriorates the tissue nutrition and its resistance against infectious agents, and its resistibility in relation to infection. It is also known that the CC sickness rate is affected by the age (children get sick more often than adults) and gender (male individuals are more susceptible to CC than females, regardless of their age). Among the issues that have not received an answer is another question: why CC affects only upon humans and apes? It is hypothesized that the cause of these higher primates susceptibility to CC is the highest level of their body heat conductivity in the animal world. Just this circumstance contributes to the rapid and deep cooling of the bodies of people and apes when it is cold, with all the ensuing negative consequences for the organism.