Coronavirus: immune response could be difference between life and death, study shows
- Researchers identify three ways in which people suffering from Covid-19 produce T cells to fight infection, with varying degrees of success
- Study of 125 patients by American scientists is largest of its kind yet conducted
When the human body comes under attack from a virus, the immune system produces T cells to tackle it. These mostly come in two forms: “helpers”, which organise the defence response, and “killers”, which are told how and where to fight.
The killers destroy virus cells with toxic chemicals, but to do the job effectively requires precise coordination with the helper cells.
In many patients who became seriously ill with Covid-19, this teamwork was missing, according to researchers from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in the United States led by associate professor of medicine Dr Nuala Meyer.
According to their study, published in Science magazine on Wednesday, there are “three ‘immunotypes’ associated with poor clinical trajectories versus improving health”.