Nat Immunol: A serious viral infection may "overwhelm" the body's immune cells.

September 16, 2020 // -- In a recent study published in the international journal Nature Immunology, scientists from the University of Melbourne and other institutions identified a special mechanism that could lead to a deterioration in the body's immune system's response to serious viral infections, such as HIV or COVID-19.
Photo Source: CC0 Public Domain We all know that severe viral infections and cancer can induce damage to the body's immune system, including damage to T cells, a process known as "immune exhaustion"; overcoming immune system depletion is a major goal for scientists to develop new cancer therapies and strategies to treat severe viral infections;
The researchers previously believed that T-cells slowly lose their function over a long period of time during the on-occurrence of a serious infection, but this study found that T-cells only develop functional impairment within a few days; Dr Utzschneider said it was a very significant study, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic, which could play a very important role in explaining why some people are seriously ill and others have mild symptoms.
researchers said they analyzed disease symptoms in mice with mild and severe lymphocytic vein meningitis virus infection, a model of severe viral infection in humans, and in the early stages of the disease, they found significant differences in molecular and functional levels in mice with different symptoms of the disease;
T cells are at the heart of cancer immunotherapy, so understanding the damage mechanisms of T-cell function is important for improving the rental effect of cancer therapy and applying them to other diseases, such as viral infections, the researchers said.
() Original source: Utzschneider, D.T., Gabriel, S.S., Chisanga, D. et al. Early precursor T cells up and propagate T cell exhaustion in chronic. Nat Immunol (2020). doi:10.1038/s41590-020-0760-z.