COVID 19 and autoimmune blistering diseases: is there a link between epidermolysis bullosa acquisita and SARS-CoV-2?

The blistering disease Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita is a genetic/autoimmune disorder deriving from alterations of the human protein Collagen alpha-1(VII) chain (CO7A1). Exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) promotes a wide variety of autoimmune diseases and might be a risk factor for Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita; in order to further our understanding of the link between this blistering disease and SARS-CoV-2, this study analyzes the peptide-sharing between CO7A1 and SARS-CoV-2 proteome. Results indicate a high level of molecular mimicry between CO7A1 and SARS-CoV-2 and hCoV-229E, and hCoV-NL63, thus suggesting a potential role of COVID-19 as a risk factor for Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.