2021-08-31

natural immunity after infection persists even with low antibodies #covid19

2021.7.26, 8.31: news.health/immunity/covid-19/

natural immunity after infection persists even with low antibodies:

summary:

. it is shown that after a covid-19 infection

there is long-lasting immunity

even when the antibody count is low

because covid-19 is slowly developing

thereby giving the memory cells time to react

by growing more antibodies when needed.

. the CDC recommends even those who have been infected

should get the vaccine; apparently because,

the recently vaccinated with their higher antibodies,

will be quicker at stopping the spread of the virus

than people who have survived an infection and then

slowly make more antibodies when reinfected.

. the politics of this question are based on

a dispute over the likelihood of vaccine injury.


Nature 2021

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34030176/

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans

Jackson S. Turner, et al

full text of the pre-print:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7781328/

"Long-lived bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) 

are a persistent and essential source of

protective antibodies.

1–7

Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 

have a substantially lower risk of reinfection.

8–10

Nonetheless, it has been reported that 

levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 serum antibodies 

decrease rapidly in the first few months after infection, 

raising concerns that 

long-lived BMPCs may not be generated 

and humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 

may be short-lived.

11–13

Consistently, circulating resting memory B cells 

directed against SARS-CoV-2 S

were detected in the convalescent individuals. 

Overall, our results indicate that 

mild infection with SARS-CoV-2 induces 

robust antigen-specific, long-lived 

humoral immune memory in humans."


. that study was referenced by 

immunology professor Ali Ellebedy

who commented:


“Last fall, there were reports that antibodies wane quickly 

after infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, 

and mainstream media interpreted that to mean 

that immunity was not long-lived;

But that’s a misinterpretation of the data. 

It’s normal for antibody levels to 

go down after acute infection, [...]

Here, [in the above study] we found 

antibody-producing cells in people 

11 months after first symptoms. 

These cells will live and produce antibodies 

for the rest of people’s lives. 

That’s strong evidence for long-lasting immunity.”

[Washington U School of Med Tamara Bhandari May 24, 2021]

https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/good-news-mild-covid-19-induces-lasting-antibody-protection/


. covid-19 is slowly developing,

thereby giving the memory cells time to react

by growing more antibodies when needed.


Science February 5, 2021:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7919858/

Immunological memory to SARS-CoV-2 assessed for

up to 8 months after infection.

Jennifer M. Dan, et al.

"While sterilizing immunity against viruses 

can only be accomplished by high-titer neutralizing antibodies, 

successful protection against clinical disease or death

can be accomplished by several other immune memory scenarios. 

Possible mechanisms of immunological protection

can vary based on the relative kinetics of

the immune memory responses and infection. 

For example, clinical hepatitis after a 

hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection 

is prevented by vaccine-elicited immune memory

even in the absence of circulating antibodies, 

because of the relatively slow course of HBV disease 

(32, 33). 

The relatively slow course of severe COVID-19 in humans

(median 19 days post-symptom onset (PSO) for fatal cases

(34)) 

suggests that protective immunity against 

symptomatic or severe secondary COVID-19

may involve memory compartments such as 

circulating memory T cells and memory B cells 

(which can take several days to reactivate

and generate recall T cell responses

and/or anamnestic antibody responses)

(19, 21, 31)."


. the CDC recommends even those who have been infected,

should get the vaccine;

but, the authors of one peer-reviewed study shows

the infected rarely suffer from a future infection.

. apparently the CDC's position is that

the recently vaccinated with their higher antibodies,

will be quicker at stopping the spread of the virus

than people who have survived an infection and then

slowly make more antibodies when reinfected.


Lancet. 2021 17-23 April; 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8040523/

SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of antibody-positive compared with

antibody-negative health-care workers in England: 

a large, multicentre, prospective cohort study (SIREN)

Victoria Jane Hall, FFPH, et al.

"This study shows that previous infection with SARS-CoV-2

induces effective immunity to future infections 

in most individuals."


. there was a similar result by the Cleveland Clinic

but it seems to have failed to pass peer review

perhaps because they bluntly stated that

we should save the precious little vaccine we have

for the world's most vulnerable to severe covid

(who is suppose to pay for that?).


preprint June 19, 2021

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.01.21258176v3

Necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in previously infected individuals.

Nabin K. Shrestha, et al

"Cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was examined among

52238 employees in an American healthcare system. 

COVID-19 did not occur in anyone 

over the five months of the study 

among 2579 individuals previously infected with COVID-19,

including 1359 who did not take the vaccine.

Individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection

are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, 

and vaccines can be safely prioritized to

those who have not been infected before."


Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta analyzes that study:

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210608/No-point-vaccinating-those-whoe28099ve-had-COVID-19-Findings-of-Cleveland-Clinic-study.aspx

"In order to ensure fair access to vaccines 

throughout the world, 

the COVID-19 vaccines Global Access

(COVAX) initiative was launched.

In many countries, 

especially those with low socioeconomic status, 

there is a serious shortage of vaccines. 

Thus, in order to get the maximum vaccine benefits, 

the most vulnerable population should be

prioritized for the vaccination."


a rebuttal of that study:

https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/covid-19-vaccines-can-enhance-protective-immunity-in-previously-infected-people/

"The study demonstrated that previous infection

protects against COVID-19, 

but not the effect of vaccination

in previously infected individuals."

"The first caveat in the study is that

the authors defined SARS-CoV-2 infection as a

positive RT-PCR test result during routine testing at the clinic. 

However, the clinic didn’t routinely test employees without symptoms. 

Therefore, people with mild or no symptoms 

might have been wrongly classified as previously uninfected

or gone undetected during the study.

Given the small number of infections observed in most of the groups, 

a few misclassified or undetected infections

might change the conclusions of the study.

. Furthermore, people without symptoms can still

transmit the virus to others, 

as Health Feedback explained in this review. 

Posts claiming that vaccination in 

previously infected individuals 

is useless disregard the potential benefits of vaccines

in preventing viral transmission within the community."

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