"The people with hidden immunity against Covid-19' BBC article July 19/2020

[TOM4CWB]

New research on Covid-19


https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200716-the-people-with-hidden-protection-from-covid-19?ocid=ww.social.link.facebook&fbclid=IwAR1ESAG4V NgVknMYkbnlE7kR_RgkvTuK545HIC7M7GwZKA1h-wKDvnps7co

[TOM4CWB]

New research on Covid-19


https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200716-the-people-with-hidden-protection-from-covid-19?ocid=ww.social.link.facebook&fbclid=IwAR1ESAG4V NgVknMYkbnlE7kR_RgkvTuK545HIC7M7GwZKA1h-wKDvnps7co

This is much more complex than we know... the human body is amazing...

If someone knows how to link this... would be grateful...

"While the latest research suggests that antibodies against Covid-19 could be lost in just three months, a new hope has appeared on the horizon: the enigmatic T cell."

From the BBC;
"The clues have been mounting for a while. First, scientists discovered patients who had recovered from infection with Covid-19, but mysteriously didn’t have any antibodies against it. Next it emerged that this might be the case for a significant number of people. Then came the finding that many of those who do develop antibodies seem to lose them again after just a few months.

In short, though antibodies have proved invaluable for tracking the spread of the pandemic, they might not have the leading role in immunity that we once thought. If we are going to acquire long-term protection, it looks increasingly like it might have to come from somewhere else.

But while the world has been preoccupied with antibodies, researchers have started to realise that there might be another form of immunity – one which, in some cases, has been lurking undetected in the body for years. An enigmatic type of white blood cell is gaining prominence. And though it hasn’t previously featured heavily in the public consciousness, it may well prove to be crucial in our fight against Covid-19. This could be the T cell’s big moment.
When researchers tested blood samples taken years before the pandemic started, they found T cells which were specifically tailored to detect proteins on the surface of Covid-19
T cells are a kind of immune cell, whose main purpose is to identify and kill invading pathogens or infected cells. It does this using proteins on its surface, which can bind to proteins on the surface of these imposters. Each T cell is highly specific – there are trillions of possible versions of these surface proteins, which can each recognise a different target. Because T cells can hang around in the blood for years after an infection, they also contribute to the immune system’s “long-term memory” and allow it to mount a faster and more effective response when it’s exposed to an old foe.

Several studies have shown that people infected with Covid-19 tend to have T cells that can target the virus, regardless of whether they have experienced symptoms. So far, so normal. But scientists have also recently discovered that some people can test negative for antibodies against Covid-19 and positive for T cells that can identify the virus. This has led to suspicions that some level of immunity against the disease might be twice as common as was previously thought.

Most bizarrely of all, when researchers tested blood samples taken years before the pandemic started, they found T cells which were specifically tailored to detect proteins on the surface of Covid-19. This suggests that some people already had a pre-existing degree of resistance against the virus before it ever infected a human. And it appears to be surprisingly prevalent: 40-60% of unexposed individuals had these cells.
AIDS is primarily a disease of T cells, which are systematically eliminated by HIV in patients who are infected by the virus (Credit: Martin Keene/PA)
AIDS is primarily a disease of T cells, which are systematically eliminated by HIV in patients who are infected by the virus (Credit: Martin Keene/PA)
It looks increasingly like T cells might be a secret source of immunity to Covid-19.

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The central role of T cells could also help to explain some of the quirks that have so far eluded understanding – from the dramatic escalation in risk that people face from the virus as they get older, to the mysterious discovery that it can destroy the spleen."...

[AlbertaFarmer5]

This is much more complex than we know... the human body is amazing...

If someone knows how to link this... would be grateful...

Ask and you shall receive:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200716-the-people-with-hidden-protection-from-covid-19?ocid=ww.social.link.facebook&fbclid=IwAR1ESAG4V %20NgVknMYkbnlE7kR_RgkvTuK545HIC7M7GwZKA1h-wKDvnps7co https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200716-the-people-with-hidden-protection-from-covid-19?ocid=ww.social.link.facebook&fbclid=IwAR1ESAG4V %20NgVknMYkbnlE7kR_RgkvTuK545HIC7M7GwZKA1h-wKDvnps7co

I think what you meant to say, is "isn't evolution amazing?"

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

From the article:

“It’s an attractive observation, in the sense that it could explain why older individuals are more susceptible to Covid-19,” says Hayday. “When you reach your 30s, you begin to really shrink your thymus [a gland located behind your sternum and between your lungs, which plays an important role in the development of immune cells] and your daily production of T cells is massively diminished.”

Apparently I am well past being an "older" individual. Isn't that depressing?

[jazz]

Evolution is wonderful but we dont evolve that fast.

Interesting article, but the foregone conclusion is this is not a novel virus then and the scaremongering was unfounded. Asymptotic cases rising, deaths dropping and now evidnce of hidden immunity. Its still in the family of viruses we have had expsure to for millions of years.

Not the next bubonic plague then.

[blackpowder]

No, but I still wouldn't want to catch it.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Evolution is wonderful but we dont evolve that fast.

i'm not following your logic here. In the millions of years of exposure to Coronaviruses, T cells have evidently. Evolved to recognize them and the mechanism to beat them. What is fast about that?

[WiltonRanch]

Evolution is wonderful but we dont evolve that fast.

Interesting article, but the foregone conclusion is this is not a novel virus then and the scaremongering was unfounded. Asymptotic cases rising, deaths dropping and now evidnce of hidden immunity. Its still in the family of viruses we have had expsure to for millions of years.

Not the next bubonic plague then.

Bubonic plague is a bacterial disease. Historically bacteria’s are more deadly than viruses.

[Blaithin]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/15/teenage-boy-dies-plague-mongolia-after-eating-marmot

[jazz]

i'm not following your logic here. In the millions of years of exposure to Coronaviruses, T cells have evidently. Evolved to recognize them and the mechanism to beat them. What is fast about that?

The article doesn't mention the millions of yrs long fight we and other life forms have had with different virus strains. It sort of just dumps out the idea we have evolved immunity to this like it sort of just happened overnight.

Its exactly the same reason why there aren't viruses out there that will just magically appear and kill us all.
Even the most puzzling new ailments like zika barely got a foothold in the population.

[WiltonRanch]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/15/teenage-boy-dies-plague-mongolia-after-eating-marmot

Approximately 5000 people annually are affected by one of the three variants of the plague. If diagnosed and treated in a timely manner it’s curable. Kicker is it appears in remote places so diagnosis and treatment is basic like Asia and Africa. Though it pops up in the USA as well.

[TOM4CWB]

Approximately 5000 people annually are affected by one of the three variants of the plague. If diagnosed and treated in a timely manner it’s curable. Kicker is it appears in remote places so diagnosis and treatment is basic like Asia and Africa. Though it pops up in the USA as well.

Sounds like the 'Oxford' vaccine has had 100M ordered for Great Britain by the end of 2020, and 2B doses for global distribution..., with T-cell increases to fight off Covid-19 as part of response to this new British vaccine...

[WiltonRanch]

Sounds like the 'Oxford' vaccine has had 100M ordered for Great Britain by the end of 2020, and 2B doses for global distribution..., with T-cell increases to fight off Covid-19 as part of response to this new British vaccine...

I just seen that. Good stuff.

[TOM4CWB]

I just seen that. Good stuff.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-53469839#
From BBC
"A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford appears safe and triggers an immune response.
Trials involving 1,077 people showed the injection led to them making antibodies and T-cells that can fight coronavirus.
The findings are hugely promising, but it is still too soon to know if this is enough to offer protection and larger trials are under way.
The UK has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine.
How does the vaccine work?
The vaccine - called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 - is being developed at unprecedented speed.

It is made from a genetically engineered virus that causes the common cold in chimpanzees.
It has been heavily modified, first so it cannot cause infections in people and also to make it "look" more like coronavirus.
Scientists did this by transferring the genetic instructions for the coronavirus's "spike protein" - the crucial tool it uses to invade our cells - to the vaccine they were developing.
This means the vaccine resembles the coronavirus and the immune system can learn how to attack it.
What are antibodies and T-cells?
Much of the focus on coronavirus so far has been about antibodies, but these are only one part of our immune defence.

Antibodies are small proteins made by the immune system that stick onto the surface of viruses.
Neutralising antibodies can disable the coronavirus.
T-cells, a type of white blood cell, help co-ordinate the immune system and are able to spot which of the body's cells have been infected and destroy them.
Nearly all effective vaccines induce both an antibody and a T-cell response.
Lab workImage copyrightOXFORD UNIVERSITY
Image caption
Sample from patients are analysed as part of the trial.
Levels of T-cells peaked 14 days after vaccination and antibody levels peaked after 28 days. The study has not run for long enough to understand how long they may last, the study in the Lancet showed.
Prof Andrew Pollard, from the Oxford research group told the BBC: "We're really pleased with the results published today as we're seeing both neutralising antibodies and T-cells.
"They're extremely promising and we believe the type of response that may be associated with protection.
"But the key question everyone wants to know is does the vaccine work, does it offer protection... and we're in a waiting game."
The study showed 90% of people developed neutralising antibodies after one dose. Only ten people were given two doses and all of them produced neutralising antibodies.
"We don't know the level needed for protection, but we can maximise responses with a second dose," Prof Pollard told the BBC.
Is it safe?
Yes, but there are side-effects.
There were no dangerous side-effects from taking the vaccine, however, 70% of people on the trial developed either fever or headache.
The researchers say this could be managed with paracetamol.
Prof Sarah Gilbert, from the University of Oxford, UK, says: "There is still much work to be done before we can confirm if our vaccine will help manage the Covid-19 pandemic, but these early results hold promise."
What are the next steps in the trial?
The results so far are promising, but their main purpose is to ensure the vaccine is safe enough to give to people.
The study cannot show whether the vaccine can either prevent people from becoming ill or even lessen their symptoms of Covid-19.
More than 10,000 people will take part in the next stage of the trials in the UK.
However, the trial has also been expanded to other countries because levels of coronavirus are low in the UK, making it hard to know if the vaccine is effective.
There will be a large trial involving 30,000 people in the US as well 2,000 in South Africa and 5,000 in Brazil.
There are also calls to perform "challenge trials" in which vaccinated people are deliberately infected with coronavirus. However, there are ethical concerns due to a lack of treatments.
When will I get a vaccine?
It is possible a coronavirus vaccine will be proven effective before the end of the year, however, it will not be widely available.
Health and care workers will be prioritised as will people who are deemed at high risk from Covid-19 due to their age or medical conditions.
However, widespread vaccination is likely to be, at the earliest, next year even if everything goes to plan.
Boris Johnson said: "Obviously I'm hopeful, I've got my fingers crossed, but to say I'm 100% confident we'll get a vaccine this year, or indeed next year, is, alas, just an exaggeration.
"We're not there yet."
What progress is being made with other vaccines?
The Oxford vaccine is not the first to reach this stage, with groups in the US and China also publishing similar results.
The US company Moderna was first out of the blocks and its vaccine can produce neutralising antibodies. They are injecting coronavirus RNA (its genetic code), which then starts making viral proteins in order to trigger an immune response.
The companies BioNtech and Pfizer have also had positive results using their RNA vaccine."...