An Australian study showed that
immunity was maintained for at least 8 months after being infected with the new coronavirus
Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, December 23 (Reporter Liu Xia) According to a report by the Physicist Organization Network on the 22nd, Australian researchers revealed for the first time that after being infected with the new coronavirus, protective neutralizing antibodies can stay in the human body for at least 8 months , Can prevent its re-infection.
The researchers said that this study is the strongest evidence that a vaccine against the new coronavirus may be effective in the long term.
This research was published in the latest issue of "Science Immunology".
The authors pointed out that they found that specific cells in the immune system called memory B cells "remember" the virus infection. If they are exposed to the virus again, it will trigger a protective immune response by rapidly producing protective antibodies.
The researchers said that previous studies have shown that the first wave of antibodies against the new coronavirus will weaken after a few months. People are worried that they may lose immunity soon because of this, but this new research dispels these concerns.
In the latest trial, a research team led by Mennon Fanzheim, associate professor of the Department of Immunology and Pathology at Monash University, recruited 25 patients with new coronary pneumonia, and from the 4th day after the infection to the 242th day after the infection. , And 36 blood samples were collected from them.
Like other studies that only focus on antibody responses, the researchers found that after 20 days of infection, antibodies against the virus began to decline.
But the important thing is that all patients have memory B cells, which can recognize one of the two important components of the new coronavirus, namely the spike protein and the nucleocapsid protein.
Moreover, the researchers found that these virus-specific memory B cells stably exist within 8 months after infection.
Fanzem said that the results of this study show that any new coronavirus vaccine may prevent the virus, which can explain why there are so few cases of real reinfection among millions of people around the world who have tested positive for the new coronavirus. .
Van Zem said: "These results are important because they clearly show that patients infected with the new coronavirus do indeed retain immunity against viruses and diseases. This gives people hope: once one or more vaccines are developed , They will provide long-term protection."