T cell shortage linked to severe COVID-19 in elderly; antiseptic spray
may limit virus spread
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[September 19, 2020]
By Nancy Lapid
(Reuters) - The following is a roundup of
some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and
efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused
by the virus.
Shortage of 'naive' T cells raises COVID-19 risk in elderly
A lower supply of a certain type of immune cell in older people that is
critical to fighting foreign invaders may help explain their
vulnerability to severe COVID-19, scientists say. When germs enter the
body, the initial "innate" immune response generates inflammation not
specifically targeted at the bacteria or virus.
Within days, the more precise "adaptive" immune response starts
generating antibodies against the invader along with T cells that either
assist in antibody production or seek out and attack infected cells.
In a small study published on Wednesday in Cell, COVID-19 patients with
milder disease had better adaptive immune responses, and in particular,
stronger T-cell responses to the coronavirus.
People over age 65 were much more likely to have poor T cell responses,
and a poorly coordinated immune response in general, coauthor Shane
Crotty of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology said in a news release.
As we age, our supply of "naive" T cells shrinks, he explained. Put
another way, we have fewer "inexperienced" T cells available to be
activated to respond to a new invader. "Ageing and scarcity of naive T
cells may be linked risk factors for failure to generate a coordinated
adaptive immune response, resulting in increased susceptibility to
severe COVID-19," the researchers said. (https://bit.ly/3ks4FbG)
Antiseptic nasal spray may help limit coronavirus spread
An antiseptic nasal spray containing povidone-iodine may help curb
transmission of the new coronavirus, preliminary research suggests.
In test tube experiments, a team of ear, nose and throat doctors found
that a povidone-iodine nasal spray inactivated the virus in as little as
15 seconds. The nasal spray they tested is typically used to disinfect
the inside of the nose before surgery. Formulations designed for use on
skin are not safe in the nose, the researchers note.
They reported on Thursday in JAMA Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
that they now have their patients use the spray before intranasal
procedures, to reduce the risk of virus transmission through the air via
droplets and aerosol spread.
They also suggest instructing patients to perform nasal decontamination
before coming to appointments, to "further decrease intranasal viral
load and ... prevent spread in waiting areas and other common areas."
They caution, however, that routine use of povidone-iodine would not be
safe for some people, including pregnant women and patients with thyroid
conditions. Larger clinical trials have not yet proved that viral
transmission is curbed by intranasal povidone-iodine solutions, but
"these studies are already underway," the researchers said.
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An elderly woman walks on a street in the Raval district, after
Catalonia's regional authorities announced restrictions to contain
the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Barcelona, Spain
September 16, 2020. REUTERS/Nacho Doce
Not all COVID-19 antibody tests are equal
Some COVID-19 antibody tests are much more reliable than others. But
even with the best ones, reliability varies among patient subgroups,
a new study suggests. Some tests look for IgM or IgA antibodies, the
first antibodies produced by the immune system in response to an
invader, which do not remain long in the body.
Other tests - the most common kind - look for IgG antibodies, which
generally develop within seven to 10 days after symptoms begin and
remain in the blood for some time after the patient recovers.
In a study posted on medRxiv on Wednesday in advance of peer review,
researchers analyzed data from 11,809 individuals whose COVID-19 had
been diagnosed with highly rated tests to see how well the various
antibody assays would "recall" that the patient had been infected.
The most commonly used assays, which look for IgG, had a 91.2%
recall rate. But the IgA and IgM assays had estimated recall rates
of 20.6% and 27.3%, respectively, coauthor Natalie Sheils of
UnitedHealth Group told Reuters. "Recall varies significantly across
subpopulations and according to timing of the tests, with
performance becoming relatively stable after day 14," she said. "The
tests performed better for men versus women, for non-whites versus
whites and for individuals above age 45." More research is needed to
understand why these variations occur, Sheils added.
(Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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