In the two previous installments (one, two) of what has now become my praise of T cells, I explained that the SARS-CoV-2 protein sequences recognized by T cells do not change, likely explaining why vaccines prevent serious disease and death caused by any variant. Today I will explain that virus-specific T cells appear a week …
It is slowly becoming clear that the immunity induced by SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is of overall better quality than that induced by COVID-19.
T cells are the other arm of the adaptive immune response (in addition to B cells) that are essential for clearing virus infections. Most studies of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection have focused on antibodies and their ability to neutralize virus infection. The observation that variants of concern are less effectively neutralized by antibodies against ancestral …
Accumulating data suggest that SARS-CoV-2 vaccination of pregnant and lactating people is safe and beneficial for both mother and child.
Vaccines work by educating the host’s immune system to recall the identity of a virus years after the initial encounter, a phenomenon called immune memory. Viral vaccines establish immunity and memory without the pathogenic consequences typical of a natural infection. The success of immunization in stimulating long-lived immune memory is among humanity’s greatest scientific and …
On this episode, FDA EUA for Pfizer mRNA vaccine, efficacy of AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 COVID-19 vaccine, and an orally administered drug that blocks SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets. Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker Click arrow to playDownload TWiV 693 (69 MB .mp3, 115 min)Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
