T-Cells, too - Not Just Antibodies
Most weeks, I will read one (or a dozen) articles that talk about how immune response to the SARS2 virus fades over time. It does. But these articles often imply that antibodies are the only thing we have going for us. Not true. The immune system is complex, and while antibodies are an important part of the immune response, they are only a part.
Here’s a good article from the CDC that talks about how T cells are also part of our immune memory; if T cells have learned to recognize SARS2 virus, and suddenly that virus appears in the blood, these T cells get busy and try to eliminate it.
“T cells protect against COVID-19 in absence of antibody response.” National Institutes of Health, 7 Jun 2022, https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/t-cells-protect-against-covid-19-absence-antibody-response.
So antibody levels are a limited idea - but hopefully not limiting idea. We also have another way to teach the immune system how to recognize of the SARS2 virus. This can happen after an infection. Or through immunization. T cells can learn to distinguish friend from foe without raising antibody levels. We should not limit our understanding of immunity to any one mechanism.