Hey what’s up everyone! This week’s blog is going to be another one about Covid-19. More specifically, the antibody response for it. I will try to explain some throughout and make it more understandable, because this stuff can be a bit confusing! I will also explain the importance of what the antibody response means and what testing for it can do to help the situation. Keep in mind that scientists are still researching Covid-19 and the antibody responses and possible antivirals and vaccines, so this information could very well change! Alright, now let’s get started!
So first, I am going to give a basic rundown of what antibodies are and what all the letters and numbers you’ll see mean! So an antibody is a protein that B-Cells make and they are produced to help combat antigens (like viruses) that enter the body. They do this by binding to the antigen and covering the receptors so it can’t bind or get into host cells like it wants to. Antibodies also call in other immune system cells and responses like macrophages so that the antigen gets destroyed. According to medicine.net, there are many different kind of antibodies that have different purposes. IgM antibodies are the first responders to an infection. So, if you only have IgM antibodies, it is most likely that you have recently been infected with the virus. IgG antibodies are made after the infection has set in and the IgM have done a lot of work. So if you have both IgM and IgG it most likely means that you have the infection and have had it for a while. If you are IgG positive and only have the IgG antibodies, then it means that you have had the virus in the past, but you currently do not anymore, and therefore are not contagious anymore. But, especially with Covid-19, many doctors suggest waiting even longer after symptoms go away and you have recovered from Covid-19 as a precaution before you are in contact with other people.
Another test that is being used for Covid-19 is a viral genome test. This type of test detects if you have viral RNA in any nasal/oral places. If viral RNA for the coronavirus is detected that means you are currently infected with Covid-19 and therefore, contagious to others. This type of test is different than the antibody test because the antibody test is able to tell you if you’ve had it in the past and recovered from it. Another source that stresses the importance of the antibody response to Covid-19 and how we can use this is pbs.org. They say that not only is it important to have these antibody tests to know the amount of people that had the disease asymptomatically so that we can have better statistics for things like the fatality rate of the disease, but also to help people who currently have it. In a few states, blood plasma is taken from people who have had Covid-19 and have recovered and injecting it into patients who are critically ill. There is currently no vaccine or antiviral for Covid-19 so this is the best bet to help some critically ill patients at the moment by giving them the antibodies they need to help stop the virus from continuing to infect host cells.
I believe that having these statistics is very important, especially in the long run when scientists look at immunity and how long that lasts, especially if another wave of the virus hits at a later time before a vaccine is created. I also think it is great that they are doing the plasma transfer and that it is helping some critically ill patients, especially when they don’t have anything else to turn to. I encourage anyone who is recovered and able to check with their health care provider and see if they can donate plasma or if there is anything else they can do to help the scientists and health care workers. That is it for this weeks blog! I hope you learned some new stuff today and remember to keep social distancing, washing your hands, and not touching your face!! We’re all in this together and we can get through it, I’m sending you all my good vibes and hope that you all are staying safe and healthy! see you next time.
Microbiology 