SHARE ON: |
| |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
The emergence of coronavirus variants has provoked concern about their impact on the effectiveness of vaccines, and whether people who were previously infected might be more susceptible to reinfection.
But in welcome news, a new study on Tuesday showed that a key player in the immune response, called the killer T cell, remained mostly unaffected.
The finding is encouraging because although these white blood cells are not a first line defense against infection, they can help prevent severe disease.
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University analyzed blood samples from 30 people who had contracted and recovered from COVID-19 prior to the emergence of variants.
They published their findings in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, an Oxford University Press journal.
The team wanted to know whether these cells, known by their technical name CD8+ T cells, could still recognize three variants of SARS-CoV-2: B.1.1.7, first found in Britain, B.1.351, identified in South Africa, and B.1.1.248, first seen in Brazil.
What makes each of these variants unique is the mutations they carry, especially in a region of the virus spike protein, structures that stud its surface and allow it to invade cells.
It has already been shown that mutations to this region of the spike protein make some variants less recognizable to neutralizing antibodies -- infection fighting proteins produced by the immune systems B cells.
This seems to be particularly true, for instance, of B.1.351, according to research on the impact of current generation COVID-19 vaccines.
Neutralizing antibodies are custom-made to fit an antigen, or a specific structure of a pathogen.
In the case of the coronavirus, this is the spike protein, which the antibodies bind to, preventing the virus from infecting cells.
Killer T cells, on the other hand, look for telltale signs of cells that have already been infected with pathogens they have previously encountered, and then kill those cells.
In the new study, the researchers found that the killer T cell responses remained largely intact and could recognize virtually all mutations in the variants studied.
The researchers noted that larger studies are needed to confirm the results, but said that it nevertheless demonstrated that killer T cells are less susceptible to mutations in the coronavirus than neutralizing antibodies are.
Antibodies are still important to prevent infection in the first place -- and the reduced efficacy of vaccines to the variants seems to be evidence of this.
But a killer T cell response that kicks in later and aids in clearing off the disease, helps explain why the vaccines seem to be able to prevent severe disease and hospitalization, even though their efficacy at stopping infection by variants is reduced.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
5 pm |
| 22 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SSE 22 KM/H
GUSTING TO 30 KM/H |
|
|
|
6 pm |
| 23 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 22 KM/H
GUSTING TO 30 KM/H |
|
|
|
7 pm |
| 23 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: ESE 19 KM/H
GUSTING TO 32 KM/H |
|
|
|
8 pm |
| 22 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: ESE 17 KM/H
GUSTING TO 34 KM/H |
|
|
 |
9 pm |
| 23 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 19 KM/H
GUSTING TO 45 KM/H |
|
|
 |
10 pm |
| 19 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
WIND: SE 18 KM/H
GUSTING TO 44 KM/H |
|
|
|
11 pm |
| 17 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
WIND: SSE 14 KM/H
GUSTING TO 32 KM/H |
|
|
|
12 am |
| 16 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: SE 20 KM/H
GUSTING TO 42 KM/H |
|
|
|
 |
TODAY |
HIGH OF 23 ℃
LOW OF 15 ℃ |
| MODERATE RAIN |
|
|
|
MONDAY |
HIGH OF 26 ℃
LOW OF 13 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
|
TUESDAY |
HIGH OF 26 ℃
LOW OF 14 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF 27 ℃
LOW OF 14 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
|
THURSDAY |
HIGH OF 29 ℃
LOW OF 16 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
|
FRIDAY |
HIGH OF 27 ℃
LOW OF 16 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
|
SATURDAY |
HIGH OF 33 ℃
LOW OF 17 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
|
SUNDAY |
HIGH OF 32 ℃
LOW OF 18 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
| The Curiosity Box Back to School – Learn & Explore! |
| |
| Make learning exciting this school year with The Curiosity Box! Discover fun STEM activities, experiments, and surprises that spark curiosity. |
| |
| Back to School savings won’t last—shop The Curiosity Box today! |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
SHINEDOWN
BLACK SOUL
04:58 PM |
|
 |
WATCHING THE ABYSS
NEMESIS
04:54 PM |
|
 |
FALL OUT BOY
SOPHOMORE SLUMP OR COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
04:50 PM |
|
 |
WITHIN DESTRUCTION
TORMENT
04:46 PM |
|
 |
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
400 AM
04:39 PM |
|
 |
ENMY
THE CURE
04:36 PM |
|
 |
AEROSMITH
COME TOGETHER
04:32 PM |
|
 |
PHOENIX LAKE
FAITHLESS
04:26 PM |
|
 |
METALLICA
SAD BUT TRUE
04:21 PM |
|
 |
P O D
I GOT THAT
04:18 PM |
|
 
 |
