Immune T-Cells Offering Prolonged Protection Against Coronavirus

We are now more than eight months into the coronavirus pandemic that has upended the lives of most of Earth's inhabitants. And, while it is true that the scientific community has learned many things about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the disease it causes, Covid-19, there are still many gaps in our understanding.

One big mystery: Why do some people get very sick and even die from this illness, while others show mild symptoms, and some may not even realize they've been infected at all?

We know some big factors that often put people at higher risk of having a severe, even fatal, course of the disease. But might the opposite also be true; could certain people actually have some type of protection? As per plexision.com, not all germs are equally memorable in the immune system. But, our body’s cells seem to be seriously studying up on the coronavirus.

In this article, we will be discussing the recent discovery that has been made about the T-cells that are offering lasting protection against the coronavirus.

What are T-cells?

T-cells are a part of the immune system that focuses on specific foreign particles. Rather than generically attacking any antigens, T-cells circulate until they encounter their specific antigen. As such, T-cells play a critical part in providing immunity from foreign substances.

The role of a T-cell is slightly modified throughout a human's lifetime. In infancy, naïve T-cells are critical for developing immunity towards common pathogens or antigens. During this time, long-term reserves of memory T-cells are established and can be maintained through adulthood.

T-cytotoxic cells are effector cells that destroy virus-infected cells, tumor cells, and tissue grafts that exist in the cytosol, or contiguous nuclear compartment. The cells are also known as CD8+ T-cells as they express the CD8 glycoprotein at their surfaces. CD8+ T-cells, often called cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, or CTLs, are very important for immune defense. They protect the body against intracellular pathogens, including viruses and bacteria.

Because the clearing of a virus depends on an effective immune response, T-cytotoxic cells have again come into focus following the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, boosting the function and quantity of T-cells is important in patients affected by coronavirus to ensure recovery.

While research is limited, initial studies on plexison.com indicate that there is a decrease in T-cytotoxic cells in patients with COVID-19. There is also some evidence that deleterious progression of COVID can be prevented in patients with low T-cell counts. Because of the suspected role of cytokines, blocking these can potentially be an effective strategy to prevent T-cytotoxic cell exhaustion allowing for more positive COVID-19 outcomes.

As part of their job, a team of skilled scientists and researchers looked for T-cells in blood samples from healthy individuals with no history of either COVID-19 or SARS. To their surprise, more than half had T-cells that recognize one or more of the SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Although it’s still not clear if this acquired immunity stems from a previous infection with coronaviruses that cause the common cold or perhaps from exposure to other as-yet-unknown coronaviruses.