»We generally do not yet know exactly how antibodies protect«
(Thomas Jacobs from the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg)
Accordingly, Thomas Jacobs from the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM) in Hamburg sees the introduction of an immunity passport for people who have been infected with Sars-CoV-2. In any case, there is no scientific guarantee that the presence of antibodies automatically protects against renewed infection. “We generally do not yet know exactly how antibodies protect,” says the immunologist. Studies would suggest such protection, “but how high the antibody level must be, for example, remains unclear.”
Klaus Cichutek, President of the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), emphasizes that one has to differentiate between antibodies: “There are different qualities of antibodies, and not all of them prevent infection.” It is important here to find hard data: “Whether one Immune protection arises, must be measured against reality. «
Likewise, Jacobs is not surprised by the results of the study that, in the case of asymptomatic diseases, few or no antibodies can be found quickly: “A few viruses in the neck and throat area are probably not enough to trigger a large antibody response or T cell immunity.”
Different immune reactions make sense
This adapted reaction makes sense for the immune system, since we are constantly exposed to pathogens in everyday life: “If we can answer with light weapons, we do not need to use heavy guns.” However, Covid 19 diseases with more severe symptoms will probably be one longer-term protection established.
Studies on other coronaviruses indicate that renewed Sars-CoV-2 infection may prevent immunity that lasts for only a few months, as the virologist Shane Crotty from the La Jolla Institute of Immunology in California told the journal Nature. A symptom-reducing immunity could therefore exist longer.
It is uncertain which part of the immune system is particularly important for this protection. “In addition to the antibody-producing B cells, the T cell response to the pathogen can be just as important,” explains Jacobs. Which mechanism works above all is a central question for the development of a vaccine.
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