People infected with the original strain of a virus causing COVID-19 produce a steady response of antibodies against the classic coronavirus version, but these antibodies are useless to new strains. Scientists of Illinois University in Urbane-Champanen came to this conclusion, whose study was published in the Nature Communications magazine.
Researchers analyzed published articles about patients with COVID-19 in search of data on the sequence of antibodies produced by them. They focused on antibodies against the S-protein, which binds to human cell receptors, contributing to infection. It turned out that the mutant s-protein variants characteristic of new strains, old antibodies do not have affinity.
According to scientists, it matters for the ability of new options to re-infect people who have become infected with earlier versions of the virus, as well as to maintain vaccine efficiency and develop possible boosters that support immunity against coronavirus.
In the future, researchers plan to carry out similar studies that characterize antibody responses to the coronavirus delta version and other concerns of the SARS-COV-2 form.