VOA健康报道2022 普通感冒生成T细胞 有助对抗COVID-19

Study: T-cells From Common Cold Might Help Fight COVID-19

High levels of T cells from coronaviruses that cause the common cold can provide protection against COVID-19, a recent study has found.

The findings came from an Imperial College London study. The new information could help scientists develop ideas for second-generation vaccines².

Immunity³ against COVID-19 is complex. There is evidence of reduced antibody levels six months after vaccination⁴. However, T cells are believed to play an important part in providing protection.

The Imperial College London study began in September 2020. It examined levels of cross-reactive T cells produced by earlier common colds in 52 household contacts of positive COVID-19 cases. The researchers looked at people shortly after they had come in contact with the virus. The goal was to see if the contacts went on to develop infections.

The researchers found that the 26 who did not develop infection had notably⁵ higher levels of those T cells than people who did get infected. The study did not say how long protection from the T cells would last.

Dr. Rhia Kundu was the study's lead writer. Kundu said, "We found that high levels of pre-existing T cells, created by the body when infected with other human coronaviruses like the common cold, can protect against COVID-19 infection."

The study appeared recently in the publication Nature Communications. The team that wrote about the research said that the T cells targeted proteins inside the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This finding could offer a new target for vaccine¹ makers⁶.

Current COVID-19 vaccines target the spike⁷ protein, a protein on the outside surface of the virus, which changes or mutates regularly. These changes create variants⁸ such as Omicron. These changes in the spike protein also reduce the effectiveness of vaccines against infections that show physical signs.

Professor Ajit Lalvani was a co-writer of the study. Lalvani said, "The internal proteins targeted by the protective T-cells we identified mutate much less."

Lalvani added that these T cells "are highly conserved⁹ between the various SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron."

He said new vaccines that include these special proteins would support the "protective T cell responses that should protect against current and future SARS-CoV-2 variants."

Words in This Story

T cell – n. a kind of white blood cell that is part of the immune system which fights infection in the body and that develops from cells in the center of bones

response – n. something that is done as a reaction to something else

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

3 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

4 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

5 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

6 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

8 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

9 conserved   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He conserved his energy for the game. 他为比赛而养精蓄锐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Under these conditions, the total mechanical energy remains constant, or is conserved. 在这种条件下，总机械能保持不变或机械能保存。 来自辞典例句