Termination of COVID-19 Effects in Gustation

    A pandemic known as Covid-19 has shut down the world due to the deadly disease it has imposed on 

millions of people. The virus has effected many in different ways. Shortness of breath, fever, sore 

throat, and chills are just some of the symptoms that have been reported. Hundreds of thousands have 

been hospitalized due to the lack of self care they are able to provide, as the virus attacks viciously. 

some of the least severe symptoms of Covid-19 have included the loss of senses such as taste and 

smell. These onsets may be very alarming as innate survivor instincts rely on taste for foods and smells 

for environment detection. Taste is especially important given that humans use this sense to determine 

if foods are edible or not. Without this, eating spoiled foods or inedible items can be deadly. Humans 

rely on their senses to navigate around the world , in which a loss of them can be detrimental to an 

individuals health and well being.

    In the Article, "Sudden onset, acute loss of taste and smell in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): 

a systematic review" by Panduwawala et al., describes the Early detection and management of COVID-

19. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently included sudden loss of taste 

(dysgeusia/ageusia). As it is still unknown why the virus targets gustation in some individuals, it has 

been deemed that sensorineural dysgeusia or anosmia due to neurotropic or neurovirulent SARS-CoV-2 

infection targeting the gustatory or the olfactory systems appears to be the pathological basis for these 

symptoms. As cases progress, clinical trials are implemented in curing the case of sensory loss such as 

gustation through medical oral treatments. This is urgent due to the issues of individuals reporting no 

sensory recovery after infection and recovery.

    In the Article, "Ephrin-B/EphB Signaling Is Required for Normal Innervation of Lingual Gustatory 

Papillae" by Rochlin et al., describes the current studies in the field of gustation. This article targets the 

axons through the intervention of taste buds. it was found the Ephs and Ephrins are utilized as ligands 

and receptors for the gustatory system. It was recently discovered that EphrinB was the priority in 

gustation as it is the main concept to send signals through axons to the brain. This would prioritize any 

interventions or medical advancements towards EphrinB as it is the main gateway.

    In conclusion, Gustation is a very new field in medicine that is not well studied or scientifically 

advanced. Due to the new pandemic and symptoms it entails, the finding in Dr. Rochlin's research may 

be the gateway to medical advancements throughout the field of taste. This may also lead a new 

gateway into the field of chemosensory system, curing not only Covid-19, but other illnesses 

throughout.

References    

Panduwalala, Chamila, et al. " "Sudden onset, acute loss of taste and smell in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a systematic review". Int J Oral Sci. 2020;12(1):8.

Treffy R, W, Collins D, Hoshino N, Ton S, Katsevman G, A, Oleksiak M, Runge E, M, Cho D, Russo M, Spec A, Gomulka J, Henkemeyer M, Rochlin M, W: Ephrin-B/EphB Signaling Is Required for Normal Innervation of Lingual Gustatory Papillae. Dev Neurosci 2016;38:124-138. doi: 10.1159/000444748