Covid Resistant
It's a common yet curious tale: a household hit by Covid, but one family member never tests positive or gets so much as a sniffle - Pat Hagan
image by: Fitgenes
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People testing negative for Covid-19 despite exposure may have ‘immune memory’
We all know that person who, despite their entire household catching Covid-19, has never tested positive for the disease. Now scientists have found an explanation, showing that a proportion of people experience “abortive infection” in which the virus enters the body but is cleared by the immune system’s T-cells at the earliest stage meaning that PCR and antibody tests record a negative result.
About 15% of healthcare workers who were tracked during the first wave of the pandemic in London, England, appeared to fit this scenario.
The discovery could pave the way for a new generation of vaccines targeting the T-cell response, which could produce much longer lasting immunity,…
Resources
Why have some people never caught Covid? The answers could help protect us all
I’m a Covid researcher, but I’ve never tested positive. Studying variations in immune systems could lead to better vaccines.
A lucky few seem ‘resistant’ to Covid-19. Scientists want to know why
The question of viral resistance has perplexed Mayana Zatz, a University of São Paulo genetics professor, for years, beginning with exploring the clinical variability of genetic diseases in patients who carried the same pathogenic mutation. She began with neuromuscular disorders like Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and then expanded to exploring why the Zika virus caused severe brain damage in some newborns while others were healthy.
How come some people haven’t had Covid yet?
Although several countries around the world continue to have high rates of Covid-19 infections, including the UK and US, many of their citizens are yet to be infected with the Sars-Cov-2 virus. This includes countless individuals who have knowingly been exposed, often multiple times, but have still never had a positive test.
How do people resist COVID infections? Hospital workers offer a hint
Immune cells might ‘abort’ SARS-CoV-2 infection, forestalling a positive PCR or antibody test.
Are some people naturally Covid-proof?
It's a common yet curious tale: a household hit by Covid, but one family member never tests positive or gets so much as a sniffle. Meanwhile there are those who have had Covid and been double-jabbed and boosted, yet still pick up the virus again.
Covid-resistant people inspire new vaccine tactic
Understanding how some people naturally resist Covid infection, despite clearly being exposed to the virus, could lead to better vaccines, say researchers.
Covid-resistant people point way to universal coronavirus vaccine
Many groups worldwide are trying to develop vaccines that protect against a wide range of coronaviruses and prevent another pandemic. These efforts have now been boosted by the discovery that some healthcare workers had pre-existing immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the first wave of the pandemic.
The search for people who never get COVID
An international team of researchers wants to find people who are genetically resistant to SARS-CoV-2, in the hope of developing new drugs and treatments.
There May Be People Who Are Genetically Resistant to COVID-19, Scientists Say
For example, we reported last year that blood type (particularly type O blood) seemed to show a slight resistance to severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Then there's been other studies looking at proteins such as the ACE2 receptor or TMEM41B that the coronavirus seems to require to either enter or replicate once inside the cell.
People testing negative for Covid-19 despite exposure may have ‘immune memory’
We all know that person who, despite their entire household catching Covid-19, has never tested positive for the disease.
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