What parts of the immune system are protecting you against COVID? Immunology is complicated, so here's a graphic to try and explain it.
Layered defenses against SARS-CoV-2, or the “Swiss cheese” model of immunity.
Multiple types of adaptive immunity with diverse mechanisms likely provide layers of defense against COVID-19. Conceptually, these are like a “Swiss cheese model”: even though each layer is imperfect, together they keep the pathogen from breaching all layers of defense.
The graphic was inspired by the fantastic masking and public health layered defenses Swiss cheese model of @MackayIM.
The first model is the basic version. This second model incorporates local immunity in the nose/mouth/throat, and circulating immunity in the blood.
Multiple types of adaptive immunity with diverse mechanisms and locations.
Here's another way I visualize how immunity against COVID-19 likely occurs, across a gradient of disease levels, which take different amounts of time.
I use each of these in my talks.
These topics are discussed in the new pre-print on COVID-19 protective immunity here, in the section "T cells in protective immunity against COVID-19"
zenodo.org/record/6375936…
Thanks to @biomedgraphics for her great graphics design help!
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