Antigens are substances from the environment such as chemicals, bacteria, viruses, and pollen. They cause our immune systems to produce antibodies against them. Moreover, immunoglobulins are the first antibodies to react to initial exposure to an antigen. Scientists in China have found severe Covid-19 cases produce these antibodies.
Case Study Confirms Severe Covid-19 Cases Produce Antibodies
The NIH Director’s Blog cited a recent report in Nature Magazine. First, Ai-Long Huang of Chongqing Medical University and his team drew blood samples from 285 recovered Covid-19 patients. All had previously been in hospital suffering from severe symptoms from the virus.
Then, they discovered all 285 of them had developed SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies within two to three weeks of their first symptoms. This is the virus causing the Covid-19 disease behind the epidemic. Moreover when they looked closely, they found something even more remarkable about the severe covid-19 cases that produced the antibodies.
Almost All the Patients Produced Immunoglobulin Antibodies
Some 40% of the subject patients had their immunoglobulins up and running in the first week after disease onset. The rest developed them more gradually, however within the next two weeks 95% were immunoglobulin active. But was this an isolated incident?
Ai-Long Huang and his team chose a second sample of 69 patients, this time with active Covid-19. They took blood samples from them on admission, and every three days thereafter. All produced specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 within 20 days of their first symptoms. The only exceptions were a mother and her daughter in hospital together.
It seems case closed, the majority severe Covid-19 cases produce immunoglobulin antibodies. The mother and her daughter are an interesting exception that hints at a possible genetic factor. However, we now appear to have an important piece of the puzzle taking us closer to a vaccine.
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