Research: When the virus is encountered for the second time, a faster and more effective defense is developed

Scientists have revealed the strongest evidence to date that Covid 19 survivors can develop a much faster and more effective defense if they encounter the virus a second time.

Researchers from Rockefeller University in the United States have seen that if the virus is infected for the second time after infection, the immune system not only remembers the virus, but also improves the quality of the protective antibodies it produces.

Results “This is great news” Michel Nussenzweig, head of the university’s molecular immunity department and one of the study’s lead authors “Our expectation is that in many cases people will be able to quickly generate an antibody response and be resistant to infection.” She said.

How long the immune system’s memory will last isn’t known, but Nussenzweig says it has the potential to provide protection for years.

This new finding may also explain why confirmed reinfections are rare.

When people become infected with the corona virus, the immune system attacks with more than one element. One of the forms of protection are T cells which find and destroy infected cells. The other is the B cells which secrete antibodies into the blood. The antibodies attach themselves to the virus, preventing it from affecting cells from the start.

When the infection is gone, the immune system moves away too, but memory remembers the virus thanks to elements called T cells and B cells.

Many studies have shown that the antibodies developed against the corona virus decline within a few months, which has raised concerns that people may quickly lose their immunity.

The Rockefeller University study, which included 87 patients with Covid 19, also confirmed that the antibodies dropped by half within six months.

However, the university researchers say it’s not that important.

Researchers studying the memory of the immune system found that the antibodies developed by the memory B cells evolved to be stronger six months after the initial infection. If these leftover antibodies are infected a second time, they can be activated in a day or two. In the first infection, these antibodies can take weeks to develop.

The scientists also showed that the inactive viral particle particles that remain in the patients’ gut helped the immune system maintain its memory. These virus residues are not considered harmful.

Commenting on the study, Arne Akbar, professor of immunology at University College London, said: “This is good news for anyone who survived Covid-19. The immune system is like an army that withdraws when the threat is gone. But it is also ready for future invasions. If you want your army to regroup quickly, and that’s exactly what the researchers found. ”