Immunity to SARS-CoV-2: the complex nature of the immunological memory

Publication by Andreas Radbruch, Hyun-Dong Chang and Mir-Farzin Mashreghi in the “Trillium Immunologie” magazine of the German Society for Immunology DGfI

Since time immemorial, we have known that people rarely get an infectious disease more than once, they are immune. But it is only now that we are beginning to understand how our immune system remembers the pathogens and protects us effectively against new infections. Memory lymphocytes of the immune system recognise the pathogens. Some react quickly and effectively when confronted again, others provide protective antibodies. Some are located in the tissue that is attacked first, others in the bone marrow to protect the whole body via the blood. They are maintained for live supported by nurse cells. This allows the immune system to adapt in many ways to the pathogens in our environment – and apparently it does the same with SARS-CoV-2.

Read the full article to find out how the immunological memory develops and what we already know about the development of immunity against SARS-CoV-2. In German only.