Does the CCR5-Δ32 mutation explain the variable coronavirus-2019 pandemic statistics in Europe?

Abstract

A study was conducted to compare CCR5-?32 mutation frequency in 39 European countries with the prevalence and mortality of COVID-19, as of June 1, 2020. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the partial correlation coefficients of the CCR5-?32 mutation frequency showed no significant associations with the log prevalence (partial r=-0.004, P=0.979) and log-mortality (partial r=-0.156, P=0.355) of COVID-19, after adjusting for the log-number of diagnostic tests and log-onset of the epidemic (days) in each country as possible confounders. The findings did not show that the CCR5-?32 mutation can explain the variable prevalence and mortality of COVID-19 in European countries. In conclusion, this is the first report on the role of the CCR5- ?32 mutation in the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that the CCR5-?32 mutation cannot be regarded as a predictor of COVID-19 prevalence or mortality in the European population. However, there are many other confounding genetic and environmental variables affecting the COVID19 severity and even virulence of the virus that should be taken into account in further studies.