Which is better in war: gun, bullets or sword? This question is asked in the response to the emerging coronavirus, "SARS Cove 2", which causes Covid 19, as some experts believe that "the sword is stronger in killing the virus than Venice and its bullets." But how?
In order to understand the matter, we must quickly pass on the immune system in our bodies. When the body is invaded by bacteria, viruses, or parasites, an immune alarm is triggered and a reaction to the defensive activities of the immune system is triggered.
The immune system is divided into two parts:
Innate immunity
They are found in the body by nature, and include:
- The skin, which is a barrier to germs entering the body.
- Mucous membranes.
- Sweat containing germs.
- Oral saliva containing antibodies.
- The phagocytic cells that devour and eliminate bacteria.
- Cytokines that help cells and other immune system functions.
- The complement system that attacks the invading cell wall and leads to its analysis.
- Stomach acidity that kills bacteria that reach the gut.
Adaptive immunity
It is that which changes as a result of exposure to pathogens, or obtaining antibodies from the mother, and it adapts and learns, and thus becomes more effective in combating the pathogens, as it remembers them to be ready to eliminate them if they encounter them again, and they include:
- B cells (B lymphocytes [B]), and excrete antibodies.
- T cells (T lymphocytes [T]).
- Antibodies that recognize antigenic antigens, and bind to them to facilitate their elimination by other immune system cells.
How does adaptive immunity work?
This type of immunity is the subject of research regarding tackling the Coronavirus. B cells produce antibodies, which are proteins that recognize foreign bodies such as cells that have been invaded by viruses and bacteria cells and attach to them.
The B cell is programmed to produce one specific antibody, when the B cell encounters the virus or bacteria that it has programmed (called the antigen), this results in the production of the antibody.
The antibody corresponds to the antigen as the key corresponds to the lock, and when this happens the foreign object is identified for the purpose of destroying it, at which point it is recognized by T cells that attack and kill it.
What do T cells do?
There are two main types of T cells: CD4 والخ and CD8 ائية killers.
CD is the acronym for cluster of differentiation, which are proteins present on the surface of immune cells and form their distinctive markers.
Auxiliary T cells help B cells to produce antibodies, and they also help killer T cells to evolve. Studies also indicate that helper T cells may kill cells infected with the virus directly.
As for the deadly T cells, they destroy the cells that have already been infected with the virus, and thus turned into a factory for its production.
Therefore, antibodies can be likened to bullets, as for B cells with a gun, and killer T cells with a sword that kills the invader directly by stabbing them.
T cell immunity
Some experts believe that T cell immunity is likely to play a more crucial role in fighting the Corona virus than in antibodies.
In his article, published by the British Telegraph, the author, Harry de Queteville, spoke of something doctors had observed in some of those who had Corona, which is the absence of Covid-19 antibodies, which are released by the immune system in the body.
"The blood test reveals the immunoglobulin J IgG of the virus, which tests the body's immunity to this virus," according to the website, "Day Day Doctor". "Having an IgM antibody can mean that you are likely to be immune to diseases in the future," added Harley Street Health Center, but added, "We don't really know this yet."
But if patients who have recovered do not always develop antibodies specific to the virus, this raises another question regarding how they resist the disease that causes it.
The author pointed out that T cells are another possible premise for the body to recover from the virus. Currently, scientists are not sure whether antibodies confer immunity, or whether Covid-19 patients always produce it.
A new study conducted in Singapore, but still to be revised, suggests that T cells play an important role in the immune response of Covid-19 patients.
The researchers studied cases of the Corona virus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a somewhat similar coronavirus that appeared between 2002 and 2003, which caused the SARS epidemic.
17 years old
This study reached two results: First, T cells generated at that time remain active after 17 years. Second, these ancient T cells provide protection against the Covid-19 virus.
More surprisingly, the study looked at another group that had not been exposed to the SARS virus in 2003, and found that half of them also had T cells that interacted with the newly emerging coronavirus "SARS Cove 2" and attacked it.
The researchers said that this result is "noticeable", and they saw that coronaviruses (a large family belonging to the SARS viruses and "SARS Cove 2" Covid-19) were spreading generators in response to T cells among many people, which turned out to be a powerful weapon against Covid-19.
In fact, the effectiveness of T cells remains unclear. In this regard, Michael Ryan of the World Health Organization recently said, "There is definitely some evidence regarding T cells, that is, if you have had a coronavirus infection in the past, you may be able to respond more quickly to Covid-19. But there is no Experimental evidence that prior coronavirus infection may protect you from infection with COFED-19 ".
"Capturing coronavirus infection enhances T-cell immunity for a long time. T-cell immunity is perhaps more important to our immune response to Covid-19 infection than antibodies," noted Francois Balux, director of the Institute of Genetics at University College London.