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.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
11 pm |
| 5 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: WNW 19 KM/H
GUSTING TO 33 KM/H |
|
|
|
12 am |
| 5 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: WNW 25 KM/H
GUSTING TO 46 KM/H |
|
|
|
1 am |
| 5 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
WIND: WNW 26 KM/H
GUSTING TO 48 KM/H |
|
|
 |
2 am |
| 5 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
WIND: WNW 26 KM/H
GUSTING TO 48 KM/H |
|
|
 |
3 am |
| 5 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: WNW 30 KM/H
GUSTING TO 55 KM/H |
|
|
|
4 am |
| 5 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
WIND: WNW 30 KM/H
GUSTING TO 57 KM/H |
|
|
|
5 am |
| 4 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: WNW 30 KM/H
GUSTING TO 55 KM/H |
|
|
|
6 am |
| 4 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: WNW 31 KM/H
GUSTING TO 59 KM/H |
|
|
|
 |
TODAY |
HIGH OF 9 ℃
LOW OF -2 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
THURSDAY |
HIGH OF 6 ℃
LOW OF -1 ℃ |
| LIGHT RAIN |
|
|
 |
FRIDAY |
HIGH OF 12 ℃
LOW OF -2 ℃ |
| CLEAR SKY |
|
|
|
SATURDAY |
HIGH OF 20 ℃
LOW OF 4 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
|
|
 |
SUNDAY |
HIGH OF 13 ℃
LOW OF 5 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
|
|
|
MONDAY |
HIGH OF 14 ℃
LOW OF 2 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
|
|
|
TUESDAY |
HIGH OF 13 ℃
LOW OF 5 ℃ |
| SCATTERED CLOUDS |
|
|
|
WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF 12 ℃
LOW OF 5 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
| UNice Halloween Sale – Up to 50% Off! |
| |
| Get ready for Halloween with UNice! Save up to 50% off select styles and find your perfect look for the spooky season. |
| |
| Happy Halloween! Offer ends October 31st. Shop now while supplies last! |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
BRETT YOUNG
YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOURE MISSING
11:28 PM |
|
 |
LADY ANTEBELLUM
WANTED YOU MORE
11:24 PM |
|
 |
CHELSEA BAIN
COWBOY IN A CADILLAC
11:21 PM |
|
 |
RAELYNN
WHATS WRONG WITH THAT
11:18 PM |
|
 |
ABBY ANDERSON
GUY LIKE YOU
11:13 PM |
|
 |
GARTH BROOKS
TWO PINA COLODAS
11:09 PM |
|
 |
DALLAS SMITH
HOW DO YOU MISS ME
11:06 PM |
|
 |
KELSEA BALLERINI
BAGGAGE
11:03 PM |
|
 |
RACHEL REINERT
SECRET
10:59 PM |
|
 |
JORDAN DAVIS
TURN THIS TRUCK AROUND
10:56 PM |
|
 
|
