Exposure to Harmless Coronaviruses Boosts COVID-19 Immunity
TOPICS:COVID-19ImmunologyInfectious DiseasesPopularPublic HealthUniversity Of Zurich
By UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH NOVEMBER 23, 2021
Strong antibody responses against harmless coronaviruses also partially protect against SARS-CoV-2.
Infections with the novel coronavirus and vaccination lead to strong antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2. Immune responses to other human coronaviruses, which mostly only cause harmless colds, also provide some protection against SARS-CoV-2. This cross-reactive immune response is an important piece of the puzzle of how to achieve comprehensive coronavirus immunity, researchers at the University of Zurich have shown.
The population’s immunity to SARS-CoV-2, achieved either through infection or vaccination, is crucial to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
A team of researchers led by the University of Zurich (UZH) has now discovered another component that contributes to SARS-CoV-2 immunity – previous antibody responses to other, harmless coronaviruses.
“People who have had strong immune responses to other human coronaviruses also have some protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection,” says Alexandra Trkola, head of the Institute of Medical Virology at UZH. ...snip...
https://scitechdaily.com/exposure-to-harmless-coronaviruses-boosts-covid-19-immunity/
Two over-the-counter medications, when paired together, could block the virus from replicating itself.
A combination of over-the-counter products can thwart the duplication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Saskatchewan have discovered.
Diphenhydramine, an antihistamine used for allergy symptoms, and lactoferrin, a protein found in cow and human milk used as a supplement to treat stomach and intestinal ulcers, have proven effective in retarding duplication of the virus during tests on monkey cells and human lung cells.
The findings, published in the journal Pathogens and announced Monday in a press release from the university, could eventually lead to the development of a product that could be used in the fight against COVID-19, said David A. Ostrov, an immunologist and associate professor in the UF College of Medicine’s department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine.
People should not self-medicate or use the products as a COVID-19 prevention or treatment, the press release warned.
Osrtov already knew diphenhydramine was potentially effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus from his previous research efforts, after researchers presented unpublished data at a Global Virus Network COVID-19 task force meeting on federally approved compounds that were successful in reducing SARS-CoV-2 replication activity, including lactoferrin.
Ostrov decided to pair the two products, both of which are available without a prescription, to learn what occurred.
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