A surprising discovery in an Australian laboratory. Found “immune unicorn”
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“A beautiful, immune unicorn … He had the most amazing response to COVID-19 I have ever seen,” Australian virologist Prof. Turville. The unicorn turned out to be a 50-year-old man. And what surprised the scientists so much was the incredibly strong and sustained immune response to SARS-CoV-2.

  1. Scientists from the Kirby Institute in Australia came across an unusual case of an immune response to the coronavirus
  2. The 50-year-old Australian has an exceptionally strong and sustained immune response to COVID-19. “It is 100 to a thousand times greater”
  3. For an unexplained reason, the response, although very strong, did not cause him a dangerous “cytokine storm” – an aggressive response from the body. “We are trying to understand it”
  4. You can find more such stories on the Onet homepage.

“This patient’s immune response is 100 to XNUMX times greater”

Scientists from the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales (Australia) came across an unusual case of an immune response to the coronavirus. This happened when they analyzed samples from people after COVID-19 obtained from the Red Cross blood bank. “This is the most amazing response to COVID-19 I have ever seen,” admitted virologist Prof. Stuart Turville. – Beautiful, immune unicorn.

This unicorn turned out to be 50-year-old Damian, a resident of New South Wales). In March, he developed symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. They were so serious that he ended up in a hospital emergency room (although for a short time – after receiving oxygen, he was sent home the same day). Even then, however, an unusual situation took place.

  1. Check if you have symptoms of COVID-19

The coronavirus test (PCR smear) was negative. – When they initially diagnosed him, they could not find a virus in his nasopharyngeal area – said in The Guardian Australia Prof. Turville. However, the laboratory kept repeating the test, still obtaining a negative result. Mr. Damian kept repeating: “I am sick, my son has it, I must have him”. Only the analysis of the patient’s serum showed that an infection had occurred. «You have the most amazing immune response» heard Mr Damian.

Most people who have COVID-19 develop a decent immune response. But this patient’s reaction is 100 to XNUMX times greater, notes Prof. Turville.

Eight or nine months have passed since he was infected, and his immunity is not declining

The extraordinary case of the Australian draws attention for another reason. Patients who show a particularly strong immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection usually end up in an intensive care unit. This is because many of them experience a “cytokine storm”, an excessive and potentially fatal immune reaction (the body destroys not only the pathogen’s cells, but also damages its own). For an unexplained reason, Mr. Damian’s response, although very strong, did not elicit such an aggressive response from the body. “We’re trying to understand that,” says Turville.

Moreover, the Australian’s immune response is not only sustained, but has not diminished over time as well, providing him with strong, continuous protection against the virus. Eight or nine months have passed since he was infected, and he’s still in the 1 percent. people with the highest answer. I would say that his answer will probably be just as good in a year’s time. Maybe after about two years we can start to notice a fading response, adds the virologist.

  1. How long does immunity last after contracting COVID-19?

A Public Health England study found that most people who have had COVID-19 are protected from reinfection for at least five months, but some do reinfect (reinfect).

He has already donated blood and plasma more than 15 times

When Mr. Damian found out about his “unicorn immune” status, he volunteered for a medical examination. Prof. Turville estimates that he has donated blood and plasma more than 15 times. They were used (like the plasma of other convalescents) to produce a batch of serum administered to seriously ill COVID-19 patients around the world. “It also means that if the virus re-emerges in Australia, we are ready for battle,” said Turville.

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Interestingly, and prof. Stuart Turville and his lab colleagues are able to recognize whether a serum batch contains “Damian Plasma”. “Here’s how impressive his response is,” concludes the virologist.

Some of the research results on Mr. Damian were used in a prepared article describing cases of very strong immune responses to COVID-19 (not yet published in a peer-reviewed medical journal).

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