Read on Twitter
This virologist has never been more impressed by a bug's ability to quash our innate immune response than by SARS-CoV-2. Now he is starting to think virus is after our acquired immune responses as well...
To RNA viruses, the entire world of human shittiness is our innate response, most especially a virus' most dreaded opponent, INTERFERON (IFN)...
I just don't recall seeing an Ebola, Lassa or hantavirus etc that is SO effective at shutting down our ability to respond with IFN than this one. It HATES the stuff. Is also exquisitely sensitive to it when it's added...
It's almost like the virus was satisfied with being the best little IFN killer it could be. Like for 10 months, it made only one significant mutant. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32697968/
But alas, in some places wherein we acquired widespread infection, virus began to confront people who had some immunity.
This kind of immunity is the kind that is trained over days by infection or vaccination. It is specific to the virus, not generic. This is called acquired immunity...
The new mutants, I can't explain, and it doesn't seem anyone else knows either. But they all seem to have spike mutations that are expected, sometimes shown, to curtail antibody (acquired immune) responses. I tweeted a BioRxIV study on this yesterday...
Given tens of millions of culture vessels worldwide, a wildly fun-loving virus tried cranking up some wild new variations.
Voila.
A few of 'em just happen to be able to bypass some acquired antibody (prolly T cell too) responses...
Voila.
A few of 'em just happen to be able to bypass some acquired antibody (prolly T cell too) responses...
So the world's biggest experiment since Frank Fenner studied myxomavirus in Australian rabbits, in "adaptation of a virus to a new host" is in progress.
Why haven't scientists anticipated all that has happened then?
BECAUSE IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.
Hold on.
END
Why haven't scientists anticipated all that has happened then?
BECAUSE IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.
Hold on.
END
