Finally, good news concerning COVID-19: after collective, vaccine or even natural immunity, American researchers are now talking about “superhuman” immunity to the virus. The latter would offer a very high level of antibodies to some people and even make it possible to fight the variants.
Also called “bulletproof immunity” or “hybrid”, it has been revealed by a series of studies carried out in recent months. The results of the most recent study on the subject were published in June in the journal Science, according to American public radio NPR.
Some people develop an extremely powerful immune response against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Their body produces not only a very high level of antibodies, but also more flexible antibodies that would be able to fight the variants currently circulating in the world, such as the famous Delta and Beta, then probably those to come.
These antibodies could also neutralize several other viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2 found in some animals carrying viruses, such as bats and pangolins.
“In addition to neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus, these antibodies can also neutralize SARS-CoV-1, the first coronavirus that appeared 20 years ago,” explained virologist Theodora Hatziioannou, a researcher at Rockefeller University.
“One could reasonably predict that these people will be fairly well protected against most, if not all of the variants that are likely to appear in the foreseeable future”, argued the virologist at Rockefeller University Paul Bienniasz, on the airwaves of the American radio.
Who is protected?
Although these advances represent great news in research to combat the pandemic, one obstacle remains, explains Theodora Hatziioannou.
“There is a catch: you have to be sick first. It is after natural infections that antibodies seem to evolve and become more resistant to mutations. ”
Thus, it is those who have been doubly exposed to the virus who would be the best protected. For example, someone who would have tested positive for the virus in 2020, then who would then have received their doses of messenger RNA vaccines, either that of Pfizer or that of Moderna.
What about the additional doses?
Many questions remain unanswered: What if you catch COVID-19 after being vaccinated? Could additional doses of the vaccine have the same benefits?
• Read also: Are we going to need a 3rd and 4th dose?
“I’m pretty sure that a third injection will help a person’s antibodies grow even further, but I’m not sure if they will achieve the same immunity as those naturally infected,” the virologist said.
For his part, immunologist John Wherry, of the University of Pennsylvania, believes in another study that “superhuman” immunity could be achieved by a patient who has simply been vaccinated.
“Although this happens more quickly in people who have been previously infected, in our research we are already seeing part of the evolution of antibodies occurring in people who have just been doubly vaccinated,” he says.
According to him, a third dose of vaccine could therefore help the evolution of antibodies, which would help fight the next variants of the virus.
– With information from the NPR
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