Share this page!

Enter URL or ID to Unroll

You can paste full URL like: https://x.com/threadreaderapp/status/1644127596119195649
or just the ID like: 1644127596119195649

How to get URL link on X (Twitter) App

  1. On the Twitter thread, click on or icon on the bottom
  2. Click again on or Share Via icon
  3. Click on Copy Link to Tweet
  4. Paste it above and click "Unroll Thread"!
  5. More info at Twitter Help
AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD Profile picture
@fitterhappierAJ
Jan 24, 2022 • 7 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
Scrolly
So I am looking at the T cell changes in long covid in comparison to other infections

The CD8 naive T cell changes in covid are similar to what happens with naive CD8 T cells in nasty infections

Acute sars cov2 is indeed different, but Long Covid changes have me concerned ImageImage
I agree, there is a persistent activation that is driving differentiaion in Long Covid nature.com/articles/s4159…

This is similar to other infections but is NOT the same for a very important reason... ImageImage
The reason being there is no integration of the virus into DNA. sars cov 2 is not a retrovirus. Our therapies and vaccines should have good efficacy. There is also no direct replication in the T cells, but could be an immune reservoir. biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
So I think the T cell damage seen in cov2 thus far in terms of Naive cell loss is similar to HIV in asymptomatic stages as Prof @globalhlthtwit has said but do not misconstrue his words
The virus itself is quite different and we are in uncharted territory
My recommendation is to address the reservoirs and everyone who has had covid or long covid to get vaccination. It could be persisting somewhere. frontiersin.org/articles/10.33…
I have been warning about this and find it very ironic that people have been claiming the T cells will save us when I see their apparent harm and have known they've been in peril.
Also, Ebola causes more lymphocyte apoptosis than really nasty viruses including sars cov 2, but there is a huge stigma associated to the HTLV family of viruses so we cannot easily discuss comparisons without making many people angry or go into denial.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD

AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @fitterhappierAJ

AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD Profile picture
Jan 11
Since 2020 I have been arguing that Covid harms T cells, the cells responsible for controlling viruses

I am going to go over this article in the Daily Mail that poses it as a "new" hypothesis by @_lukechafer
1/ Image
Image
Great article @_lukechafer

One thing I see is that the article claims rising infections are "prompting" scientists to ask if something else is going on

That "something else" has been clearly described many times by me in 2020 on twitter and in publications Covid harms T cells Image
Image
There is a second point about the 2025 publication about reduced numbers of T cells

Something I have been saying and published also since 2020 Image
Image
Read 7 tweets
AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD Profile picture
Jan 4
In August an immunologist declared the "Leonardi Effect" had received a "decent burial"

Fast forward to today: a new preprint shows what I warned about in 2020

Persistent SARS-CoV-2-induced impairment of CD8 T cell responses to community-acquired pathogens

I was right
1/5 Image
Key finding: Post-COVID patients show markedly reduced T cell reactivity to common pathogens (influenza, Staph, VCZ) which is evidence of lasting immune dysregulation favoring secondary infections and viral reactivation

Link:


2/5 biorxiv.org/content/10.648…Image
This is the scenario I described years ago: accelerated CD8 aging/paralysis/exhaustion/senescence, poorer control of pathogens.

We ignored it at our peril. Rising "mystery" infections, cancers, herpes flares? Not a coincidence
3/5 Image
Read 5 tweets
AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD Profile picture
Jan 1
This BMJ highlight on movement from "immunity debt" to COVID's direct role in immune harm is a welcome shift

The evidence on T cell dysregulation driving secondary risks has been mounting and it's good to see mainstream outlets engaging it seriously
1/ Image
Image
In 2020 I argued against "debt", emphasizing Covid's lymphomanipulative pathways (T cell apoptosis, exhaustion, aging) causing immune harm

This drew massive ire
Labeled "crank"/"fraud," threats of op-eds pressuring labs, and a rescinded postdoc

I sacrificed hugely for candor
2/ Image
Detractors confidently pushed alternate explanations and villified me back then

now, as data aligns with booming opportunistics, they're silent. no acknowledgment, no "perhaps we were harsh."
3/ Image
Image
Read 6 tweets
AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD Profile picture
Nov 5, 2025
In 2020 I wrote a paper claiming the lymphopenia in Covid included Apoptosis, or T cell death

I made this "extreme" claim after reading the 1st paper on Covid's clinical course

Now, a paper claims ongoing T cell death is shaping population immunity
1/ link.springer.com/article/10.118…
Here they start by suggesting the immune system is aging from covid and that aged immune systems are vulnerable

In 2020 I projected that if reinfections would occur, then we would be left with population-level prematurely aged immune systems
2/ Image
Image
Their meta-analysis concludes Covid is causing sustained T cell death

There is an alternative hypothesis that reverses causality, but it is ridiculous

However, I claimed in 2020 immune harm from covid would ↑ susceptibility to a sera-evading variant
3/ Image
Read 12 tweets
AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD Profile picture
Jun 22, 2024
@Bryce_Nickels This is absolutely false because he made a “noble lie” and said the N 95s would not work for the public to the public in order for there to be greater supply to healthcare workers only. This backfired.
@Bryce_Nickels The ethical approach was the truth. This is a similar noble lie by omission that the WHO made when they refused to declare Covid as airborne in order for impoverished health systems to provide “adequate” PPE per their regulations according to WHO standards
@Bryce_Nickels The end result was workers in impoverished systems were being given “adequate “PPE for droplet transmission, and many of them died, including sadly many in New York City.
Read 4 tweets
AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD Profile picture
Apr 6, 2024
When will H5N1 will go Human to Human?
Which is deadlier?
"The Covid pandemic has prepared me for an H5N1 pandemic"
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

Send Email!

:(