IMMUNOGENICITY to SARS-COV-2 ?
(Mega-thread🧵 with 7 studies just published ! 💯)
We need to approach this topic, with a lot of humility, acknowledging that we are just starting to grasp the complexities of our immune system's response to SARS-CoV-2.
2) "Real-world assessment of immunogenicity in immunocompromised individuals following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination: a two-year follow-up of the prospective clinical trial COVAXID"
3)..leading to the need for extra booster shots. In a 2-year study of 364 patients from a trial, blood samples showed that more vaccine doses and past infections improved immune responses, despite some treatments weakening them. Continuous boosters are crucial for these patients.
4) "Broad immunogenicity to prior SARS-CoV-2 strains and JN.1 variant elicited by XBB.1.5 vaccination in nursing home residents"
The XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine enhances immunity among nursing home residents (NHRs) and healthcare workers (HCWs)
... link.springer.com/article/10.100…
5) ...particularly against new variants. A study showed that NHRs who had prior COVID-19 infections produced higher antibody levels after vaccination. This suggests the XBB.1.5 vaccine is effective in boosting protection for vulnerable populations.
6) "Functional Activity and Binding Specificity of small Ankyron Repeat Proteins against SARS-CoV-2 variants"
To manage COVID-19 effectively, we need both vaccines and treatments. Researchers have created special proteins called Ankyrons ... biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
7)...that can attach to the virus. These proteins can be made in the lab and bind tightly to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Tests showed that some Ankyrons work against different virus variants. They also can neutralize the virus in lab tests and could help develop new treatments quickly
8) "Structural insights into the RNA binding inhibitors of the C-terminal domain of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid"
The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein helps protect and package the virus's genetic material. A study tested 3 antibiotics, ceftriaxone ... biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
9)..cefuroxime, and ampicillin to see if they could disrupt this packaging. Results showed that these drugs can inhibit RNA binding to the N protein. Structural analysis revealed new interaction sites, suggesting that targeting the N protein could lead to new antiviral treatments
10) "A Modular Bacteriophage T4 Nanoparticle Platform Enables Rapid Design of Completely Protective Multivalent Mucosal Dual Vaccine Against COVID-19 and Flu"
11) Current vaccines have issues like weak protection and less effectiveness against new variants. A new vaccine design uses bacteriophage T4 nanoparticles to target both COVID-19 and flu. It delivers vaccines through the nose for better immunity and includes various antigens...
12)..for wider protection. Tests in mice show strong immune responses, including antibodies and T cells, offering complete protection. This T4 platform can quickly create vaccines and is easy to produce, making it suitable for global use, especially in areas with fewer resources.
13) One of my favourite 🤗
"Distinct proteomic signatures in Ethiopians predict acute and long-term sequelae of COVID-19"
This study focuses on COVID-19 in African patients, who may react differently compared to other populations. medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
14) Researchers looked at proteins in patients' blood to find markers that could predict severe illness and the risk of Long COVID. They found specific proteins linked to severe cases and identified some that could indicate a higher or lower chance of developing Long COVID.
15) And to conclude a study posted yesterday.
Thanks for reading 🙏
The KEY to BLOCKING SARS-COV-2 INFECTION is the INNATE IMMUNE SYSTEM !
A lesson learned from the bats in this fascinating study : "Abortive infection of bat fibroblasts with SARS-CoV-2" pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…
2) This study compares how human and bat cells respond to SARS-CoV-2 infection. While human cells are highly susceptible, bat cells show an unusual "abortive" infection:
- Bat fibroblasts can be infected and make viral proteins, but don't release new infectious virus particles.
3) - Bat stem cells can support some viral replication, but at lower levels than human cells.
The researchers think this is because bat cells have a constantly activated innate immune system, with higher levels of antiviral proteins like interferons, even before infection.
2) ... which is consistent with findings from other studies that report rates between 40% and 60%. The authors point out that 96.2% of these cases went unrecognized by the healthcare system.
3) Various seroprevalence surveys that we posted, indicate that at least 75% of the population has been infected at least once in the last year. This translates to approximately 3 billion asymptomatic individuals in a global population of 8 billion.
VIRAL LOAD dynamics in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients ...
▶️ Virus level peaked around 4 days after detection
▶️ Severe COVID-19 = higher virus level and had the virus for longer sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
2) This large study examined how the Omicron BA.2 virus affected people in Shanghai, China in 2022. It looked at patients with a wide range of COVID-19 symptoms, from no symptoms to critical illness.
3) The key findings were:
- Virus levels peaked around 4 days after first detection, then started to decline. On average, people cleared the virus in about 6 days.
- Patients with more severe illness had higher virus levels when first detected and at their peak.
“People probably are not self-reporting because they may want to go to work and they may not want other people to know” 😡😡😡 jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…
2) This study examined how well large online surveys could track COVID-19 infections in the US over the first 3 years of the pandemic. The surveys asked people if they had tested positive and when.
The survey estimates closely matched official case counts from 2020 to early 2022
3) ... when widespread institutional testing was happening. However, after the government started widely distributing at-home rapid tests in 2022, the survey data suggested many more infections were going unreported in official tallies.
2) This study looked at the blood tests of 93 children under 10 with COVID-19. The researchers found common changes in the kids' blood cell counts:
- Unusual-looking lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) in over half the kids
3) - Low eosinophils (another white blood cell) in about half the kids
- High monocytes (a different white blood cell) in 29% of the kids
The study showed that children with low eosinophils were 3 times more likely to have severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization.
2) Recent research suggests that a lack of certain immune cells may explain why COVID-19 vaccine protection fades quickly. Scientists found that people who received multiple vaccine doses often did not produce long-lived plasma cells, which are crucial for lasting immunity.
3) These cells typically develop when B cells encounter a virus, but the spacing of SARS-CoV-2's spike proteins makes this process difficult. Improving vaccine design to better present these proteins could lead to more durable immunity against COVID-19.