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The Delfi portal wondered when antibody tests were worth doing, and why not, where are the tests done and how much does it cost, and finally why the antibody titers of some people who have been infected can differ significantly from others.
What determines the immune response?
Marius Strioga, a doctor of biomedical sciences from the National Cancer Institute, told Delfi that the natural immune response will depend on the individual characteristics of the immune system: some people with COVID-19 have lower antibody titers and others have higher antibody titers. high.
“It just came to our attention then [susirgus] It entered the body when an immune response develops naturally. If, say, there are fewer viral particles (virions) present, it is possible that a non-specific immune response: macrophages, dendritic cells and partly neutrophils destroy it, take care of that virus and simply do not access the components of the virus. specific immune response.
There are also certain hierarchical levels in the immune system: the ascending chain is a nonspecific immune response that recognizes everything that is foreign and potentially harmful to the body, without differentiating what is too threatening, and has specific components: lymphocytes, antibodies that are very precise and precise to attack an already specific pathogen.
To elicit a specific immune response, that threat must first be addressed by the components of the nonspecific immune response, the upstream chain. They are versatile, but everything comes at a price. Because they recognize what is universally strange, their effectiveness and sensitivity in destroying that threat is less. Once you acknowledge everything, it obviously has no potential to destroy you on purpose.
If the virus has entered a small number and these primary components have been able to destroy it, their competence and capacity have been sufficient, then that information may no longer be communicated to the exact armies, say special ones: T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, a from which the antibodies will later be made. ”Dr. M. Strioga commented on the portal a little earlier.
Izabelė Juškienė, GP of the Vilnius MediCA Clinic, added: “Antibody titers depend on the peculiarities of the immune system. People who take immunosuppressive drugs and / or suffer from chronic diseases (eg, Oncology, autoimmune diseases, hepatitis, HIV, etc.) or are simply over 65 always have a weaker immune system and a slower immune response .
Does this mean that vaccinating a person will weaken their immunity? Yes, but without vaccinating that person, the disease will seriously damage the body, because its protective mechanism is damaged. As a result, vaccination is a very important component in strengthening the immune system, not only for COVID-19, but also for other diseases controlled by vaccines (pneumonia, diphtheria, tetanus, tick-borne encephalitis, etc.). “
Raimonda Kungytė, head of the Center for Occupational Medicine at Antakalnis Polyclinic, noted that so far there is little data on what the immune response will actually be after illness or vaccination.
“The extent of the immune response in vaccinated individuals ranged from 100 to 200 AU / ml. I could not say that it depended on age, sex or other personal characteristics. The amount of antibodies formed and the side effects observed after receiving the vaccine were independent.
Much more research would be needed to identify clearer trends. Clearly, people with immunodeficiency or taking immunosuppressive drugs probably have a weaker immune response, “commented the doctor.
It is often said that fewer antibodies are formed in those with a milder form of the disease.
“I could not unequivocally agree with this statement. For many people, this is the case, but we also have many cases where one or two days a person experienced mild symptoms and the antibody titers developed high enough, while others had a symptomatic form of the disease, but little or no antibodies were formed.
There were also children who did not have any symptoms, but the prophylactic examination revealed that the titers were high and that their parents, who had a more severe course of the disease, had significantly lower antibody levels. The disease is new enough and the options are many. Many scientists and doctors around the world work every day to study both the disease itself and its cause, so we are constantly learning new facts about the disease, in the future there will be even more knowledge and it will change ”, noted R. Kungytė . .
The interlocutor recalled that in addition to antibodies, there are also memory cells that would be able to recognize and destroy the virus when the body is repeatedly exposed to the virus. But they are not being investigated.
“Memory cells are present and are likely to respond to a coronavirus after vaccination or in case of illness,” explained the doctor.
Who benefits from an antibody test and when and for whom – Was born?
The best way to find out what kind of antibody titer you get after getting sick or vaccinated is by testing. So when is it worth doing?
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