Some people are not infected with coronavirus new type even after extensive contact with patients, said the Institute of epidemiology and Microbiology them. Pasteur. Such conclusions were made as a result of the survey, some physicians who for several months worked in the “red zone”, but never got sick COVID-19. The immunologists told “Газете.Ru” why some people are immune to SARS-CoV-2 and how these data will help in further treatment of coronavirus infection.
Some people may be immune to the new type of coronavirus. This “Izvestia” said the Director of the St. Petersburg research Institute of epidemiology and Microbiology them. Pasteur, immunologist Areg totolyan.
He stressed that this conclusion was made during a detailed examination of some doctors, who for several months worked in the “red zone”.
“They’ve been in contact with hundreds of patients and their antibodies have not decided,” — said the expert.
As explained “Газете.Ru” doctor of medical Sciences, the immunologist Elena Churina, the lack of antibodies is not directly associated with the presence of immunity to the coronavirus, so based on only this indicator is still impossible to assert innate immunity.
“for Example, it is known that during immune response to COVID-19 cell response rather than a humoral (antibody — “Газета.Ru”) plays a key role. Also, the importance of macrophages (cells capable of active capture and digestion of bacteria — “Газета.Ru”) that first come to grips with the virus at the level of innate immunity, long before antibodies are formed,” — said the medic.
Immunologist Olesya Ivanova explained “Газете.Ru” that these cells act as “special forces” — they protect the body from the primary introduction of the pathogen. “They do not understand at first, good is a pathogen or bad, they just destroy it. And then they take a fragment of infection and carry it to the lymph nodes, where antibodies,” said the doctor, adding that the lack of antibodies could indicate just about very strong immune system.
In addition, according to the immunologist Kurinoy have surveyed health-care providers could be realized and the normal physiological immune response. “It is possible, as in a meeting with many other respiratory viruses, the immune system “worked” and we didn’t notice. It is shown that the lighter was leaking the disease, the lower the content of antibodies in the blood,” — said the expert.
Agree with her and the candidate of medical Sciences, the immunologist Tatyana Shalina.
“most Likely, such people have previously developed antibodies, and they have already come to the zero state”, she said “Газете.Ru”.
According to her, in this case could work “memory cells”. ��If the person has previously encountered some coronaviruses, these cells retained the information about the entire family of coronavirus, because they have 70% similar genetic makeup. These memory cells help a certain segment of the population to keep the immune system,” explained the medic.
Meanwhile, the physician health network “RZD-Medicine” Sergei Cheremushkin believes that the main reason why COVID-19 can bypass some people’s party — good hygiene and compliance with sanitary norms. “The experience of our Cavenago center I can say that in the “red zone,” the probability of infection of medical personnel is practically reduced to zero.
Virus infection if occurs outside the “red zone” — for example, in the gateway where employees, in violation of the technology of removing PPE (personal protective equipment), do not observe elementary rules of prevention”,
However, it is likely that people with a certain genotype, where SARS-CoV-2 not affected, do indeed exist.
“it is possible that there is immune to coronavirus people. So, for HIV-immune individuals, homozygous (with two identical forms of the gene — “Газета.Ru”) on the mutant gene protein-receptor CCR5, they have the virus simply can not penetrate the cells,” — said Elena Churina.
Immunologist Mary Poliner explained “Газете.Ru” that in the case of COVID-19 case may be in quantity in the body АМФ2 – specific enzyme, which the body is supported by water and salt balance, and normal blood pressure. While traces of it are found in all body tissues — including in the lungs.
Earlier, a group of virologists headed by Professor of the University of Oxford in the UK Sex Klenerman determined that the number АПФ2 associated with two genes of the innate immune system, IFNL3 and IFNL4.
Their behavior in turn depends on how they were arranged the other piece of DNA that is located on the 19th chromosome of the human. In this segment of the genome can be of three different types of mutations. They significantly change the way the body responds to the penetration of any type of virus in the body.
However, immunologist Areg totolyan told “Izvestia” that the study of people immune to the coronavirus, it can provide the answer to the question of generic drug to fight the infection.
“the Coronavirus to enter the cells of the body, binds to receptors, people with chronic diseases are more of them. The drug, developed on the basis of the study of such people can prevent attachment of the virus to these receptors,” explained Olesya Ivanova “Газете.Ru”.
“As for the drug, then most likely, we are talking about cell immunobiologii or technologies for genome editing. Of course, they can hardly speak �� the nearest future”, — concluded Churina.
