Immune T cell defence is coping with COVID-19 variants of concern - for now

[sl8]

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/973063

NEWS RELEASE 1-DEC-2022

Immune T cell defence is coping with COVID-19 variants of concern – for now

Broad T-cell response is currently protective but recognition of seven out of ten T-cell targets mutated in SARS-CoV-2 variants is impaired

Peer-Reviewed Publication
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

Immune T cells are continuing to target the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, although mutations are making some T cells less effective, according to new research.

Published in Nature Immunology, researchers from the University of Birmingham have shown that human T cell immunity is currently coping with mutations that have accumulated over time in COVID-19 variants.

In the study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the research partner of the NHS, the researchers tested CD4+ T cells collected at the start of the pandemic from healthcare workers infected with COVID-19.

Some of the T-cells were still able to recognise parts of the spike protein, called epitopes, unaltered in later virus strains including the current Omicron variant. However, T cell recognition was worse against seven out of ten epitopes mutated in different variants of concern.

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[Warpy]

1. Worry more if dendritic cell activity is impaired

because they're generally the early warning system that locates an impaired cell and starts flooding the area with cytokines, inflammatory substances that make us feel like hell and alert both killer and helper T-cells that there is a problem.

Worry also about the B cells sitting in the lymph nodes, they're the ones who, when alerted by the T-helper cells that there is an infection, manufacture and start to flood our system with the antibodies that will render circulating bugs inoperative.

This article seems to be talking about the helper T cells. I have to wonder if making the template of the spike protein is what can impair them in some way, rendering them incapable of functioning fully more than once. Fortunately, our bone marrow is making more of them all the time.

The closer they look at Covid, the more diabolical it seems. Get the shots.