This! The activity of the host #immune response largely determines whether #pathobionts acquired from an #FMT donor might become capable of virulence 👉 So including immune status in the study of FMT outcomes would be extremely informative
IMO immune status should be included in the general study of #antibiotic resistant infection 👉 It’s no coincidence that most “superbug” infections occur in immunocompromised patients, often in hospitals (w/ patients on cocktails of steroids for procedures like organ transplants)
Because extrapolate that trend and consider that the immunosuppressive biologics used to palliate “#autoimmune” disease symptoms are the top selling medications in the world 👉 With top side effects of such drugs being “serious #infection by viruses, fungi or bacteria”(see below)
We prescribe these immunosuppressive biologics to a growing # of patients b/c the incidence of nearly every chronic #inflammatory condition is on the rise (12% of USA adults have 5 or more chronic conditions) 👉 It follows that we are living in an era of mass immunosuppression
Yet, for some reason, the impact of this mass #immunosuppression is seldom included in any analysis of the current “#superbug” crisis 👉 Rather we focus soley on #antibiotic use, without including host immune status in the picture. I explain more here: microbeminded.com/2018/03/31/ant…
This lack of focus on host immunity may impact our study of yet other therapeutic interventions 👉 For example, #phages interact w/ the mammalian immune system☝️but most phage therapy cases have only involved very immunicompromised patients - will that impact outcomes?
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@BaszkoM @RorPreston @polybioRF That is not correct. We are working very hard on ME/CFS projects in addition to LC, and almost every day we work with teams to determine how more of our LC projects can be pivoted to ME/CFS in the future
@BaszkoM @RorPreston @polybioRF 2/ ME/CFS projects include this collaborative study determining immune activity, microclotting and other infectious parameters in ME/CFS patients with peripheral neuropathy: polybio.org/projects/immun…
@BaszkoM @RorPreston @polybioRF 3/ This study of neuroinflammation via PET imaging and imaging to document changes in cognitive control (brain fog) in ME/CFS: polybio.org/projects/5272/
For more context: The team found #SARS-CoV-2 proteins indicative of viral persistence in 25% of people up to 14 months after #COVID. They controlled for vaccination + reinfection. There were very few false positives in the pre-pandemic samples, confirming accuracy of the methods
2/ The viral proteins were found in participant blood. Where did they come from? As described in our paper below, it’s possible that at least some of the proteins “leak” into blood from persistent reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 in tissue (gut, lungs etc): pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37667052/
3/ This means the new Lancet findings could even be underestimating SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs in people after COVID, since protein from reservoirs deep in the #brain or #nerves might not have made it into blood to be measured by the ultra-sensitive test used in the study
Tell @ChrisCuomo that 33 scientists from 14 institutions joined forces to write this paper documenting evidence for #SARS-CoV-2 persistence as a potential driver of #LongCOVID. We call for more clinical trials of drugs capable of clearing persistent virus: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37667052/
2/ We have formed a global #Consortium to study SARS-CoV-2 persistence: to determine if reservoirs of the #virus in LongCOVID tissue can drive widespread dysfunction including clotting, #microbiome, and neuroimmune abnormalities: polybio.org/longcovid
3/ Thus far, members our Consortium or our colleagues (including at NIH) have found persistent #SARS-CoV-2 RNA or proteins in tissue/nerve samples collected from dozens of human body & brain locations: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36517603/
I want to add that I see #SARS-CoV-2 persistence as part of a larger picture in which other latent pathogens and/or #microbiome organisms also harbored by a patient play an important role in the ultimate set up symptoms they develop
2/ Pathogens harbored by a patient at the time of SARS-CoV-2 #infection may serve as a predisposing factor to either persistence of the virus or increased disease in the acute phase
3/ E.g. Bartonella is a persistent #bacteria that drives blood vessel dysfunction by infecting #vascular endothelial cells. So someone with Bartonella may be more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2’s detrimental impact on blood vessels, and have more trouble clearing virus from such sites
Incredible to see the technology being developed openly here - not just to mitigate #COVID-19 but to create an innovative global infrastructure that positions humanity in excellent shape to combat the next airborne #virus pandemic
2/ To advance this movement in which novel tools to study & contain airborne #pathogens are actively being built, one must reject the narrative that there are only two paths forward 1) To 'care' abt airborne #infection means lockdowns 2) Freedom means ignoring airborne infection
3/ It's 2023 and many intermediate solutions are possible. We can install UV light and filter #technologies in schools, airports, even homes - to remove viruses from the air. With enough of these tools in a room, people may be able to interact freely without getting infected
Incredible new paper demonstrating #SARS-CoV-2 persistence + associated immune modulation in macaque monkeys. The team found replication competent SARS-CoV-2 virus in macaque lung alveolar #macrophages beyond 6 months postinfection: nature.com/articles/s4159…
2/ IFN-γ production was impaired in NK cells from macaques with persisting virus. Moreover, IFN-γ also enhanced the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-E on lung alveolar macrophages, possibly inhibiting NK cell-mediated killing
3/ In the lab, increasing SARS-CoV-2 levels during culture corresponded to ongoing viral replication and were accompanied by #virus-induced morphological changes including filiform extensions that connected multiple macrophages, with viral proteins detected in these extensions.