Research is under way to determine whether the mutation-laden lineage BA.2.86 has the potential for global spread — or whether it is nothing to worry about.
“Most studies on COVID-19 vaccines have focused on neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses, with little emphasis on cellular immunity. However, accumulating data suggest that T cell responses play an important role in vaccine protection against severe COVID-19 disease, particularly against viral variants that partially escape from recognition by NAbs. These insights have implications for using current COVID-19 vaccines and for developing next-generation vaccines against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases”
@notacat speaking of those – there is evidence that SARS-CoV-2 sticks around and causes chronic T cell activation, and there are only so many naive T cells the thymus can supply before it shrinks (it normally shrinks with age)
This implies that all covid infections, even those that don’t produce obvious long covid at first, may be prematurely aging the immune system
I’m aware that is one. However I find it a bit lackluster to offer such an explanation without explaining it. I know about T cells, but I’m a layperson, maybe he has other things in mind. Or maybe he knows of issues about T cells that I don’t. It just… needs further detail imo. Otherwise the reader’s confidence might as well rely on a simple appeal to authority.
I appreciate you sharing the info and also that you sourced it! I was coming from a little different direction but it’s great to encourage science literacy.
T cells.
“Most studies on COVID-19 vaccines have focused on neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses, with little emphasis on cellular immunity. However, accumulating data suggest that T cell responses play an important role in vaccine protection against severe COVID-19 disease, particularly against viral variants that partially escape from recognition by NAbs. These insights have implications for using current COVID-19 vaccines and for developing next-generation vaccines against COVID-19 and other infectious diseases”
science
@notacat speaking of those – there is evidence that SARS-CoV-2 sticks around and causes chronic T cell activation, and there are only so many naive T cells the thymus can supply before it shrinks (it normally shrinks with age)
This implies that all covid infections, even those that don’t produce obvious long covid at first, may be prematurely aging the immune system
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.27.23293177v1.full
I’m aware that is one. However I find it a bit lackluster to offer such an explanation without explaining it. I know about T cells, but I’m a layperson, maybe he has other things in mind. Or maybe he knows of issues about T cells that I don’t. It just… needs further detail imo. Otherwise the reader’s confidence might as well rely on a simple appeal to authority.
I appreciate you sharing the info and also that you sourced it! I was coming from a little different direction but it’s great to encourage science literacy.