5 Years later, Covid still Harms T cells
5 Years later, Covid still Harms T cells
5 Years later, Covid still Harms T cells
In 2020 I claimed covid infections and reinfections would cause T cell exhaustion and harm to T cells Now, to my minimal surprise, the head of the american association of immunology has published the very hypothesis disparaged and called nonsense below; that covid harms the… https://t.co/NCx3OdDRh2 pic.twitter.com/4QC33RHiGE— AJ Leonardi, MBBS, PhD (@fitterhappierAJ) February 22, 2025
“In 2020 I claimed covid infections and reinfections would cause T cell exhaustion and harm to T cells
Now, to my minimal surprise, the head of the american association of immunology has published the very hypothesis disparaged and called nonsense below; that covid harms the immune systems T cells and exhausts them.
I faced relentless attacks from many individuals. After two years of warning about immune harm and publishing opinions, my claim landed on the desk of Vincent Raccaniello, supposed “worlds virology professor” (a pretentious title) who dismissed it as Twitter nonsense in 2022
Vincent Rajkumar, the editor of blood, claimed it was nonsense.
Then Carlos Del Rio, the medical advisor to entities in the airline industry, said I could not even call myself an immunologist.
The abuse of me and my reputation continued.
Zeynep Tufekci, an editor at the new York times called me names and went as far as calling me crazy, saying “dolphins” whispered my opinions to me on covid’s immune harm.
She quotes, “Exhaustion? Not a thing.”
I faced utter disrespect and maliciousness.
“Someone” threatened a New York Times opinion editorial to the National Institutes of Health, where I was working at the time, claiming that I was a crank eroding trust in science for claiming covid harms the immune system. This is documented in emails.
They also went after Johns Hopkins. I was told I was no longer permitted to publish such opinions after the Dean was intimidated.
I hope they enjoy their reward. The reward is written testimony by their own hand of their wrongness to be displayed for all time on a matter of such great importance.
Their opinion wasn’t worthless, but rather it was the opposite of helpful. It was harmful. All their expertise only made the impact of an incorrect opinion greater.
I sacrificed career prospects and happiness. For some time, every Professor that wanted to downplay immunological harm from covid would virtue signal by attacking me. I say again, they say the T cells will save us, but who will save the t cells?”
Part 1 of 2
“Part 1 of 2 LaughterinLight PhD is a biomedical researcher, immunologist
- Answering: Can you explain the difference between how COVID affects your immune system vs how HIV affects it? * Feb 2024”
Frontiers | Cytokine Storm in COVID-19: The Current Evidence and Treatment Strategies
COVID-19 can cause a severe immune response known as a cytokine storm, leading to poor prognosis and potentially fatal outcomes.
The virus triggers excessive infiltration of immune cells, such as macrophages and T-helper 17 cells.
This is happening. Even in mild cases. My last infection in March my only symptoms were migraines. I had mild Covid and my CD8 T cells are hyper-activated and my CD4 are on the low end of normal
“This is happening. Even in mild cases. My last infection in March my only symptoms were migraines. I had mild Covid and my CD8 T cells are hyper-activated and my CD4 are on the low end of normal”
A ji ljm sq ij
accelerated immunosenescence in CD4 and especially CD8 T-cell compartments may represent a common and unique outcome of SARS-CoV2 infection", not seen in the flu-like illnesses analysed in the same study
Over but not gone: lingering epigenetic effects of COVID-19
“Long COVID’ affects nearly one in five adults who have had coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet the mechanisms underlying this disorder remain poorly understood. In a new study, Cheong et al. show that the epigenetic and transcriptional state of myeloid immune cells and their progenitors are durably altered in patients following severe COVID-19.”
"Long COVID, or post-acute COVID syndrome (PACS), is now estimated to occur in 19% of adults having presented with COVID-19..
“Long COVID, or post-acute COVID syndrome (PACS), is now estimated to occur in 19% of adults having presented with COVID-19.. PACS is believed to be caused by immunological changes that persist after acute infection. Furthermore, it is now increasingly recognized that these changes include not only those in the adaptive immune system, such as production of autoantibodies or autoreactive T cells due to molecular mimicry, but also those in the innate immune system.. A new study by Cheong et al. in Cell reveals crucial differences in the transcriptional and epigenetic state of innate immune cells and their progenitors [among PASC patients].. the study team demonstrated that myeloid cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells harbored transcriptional and chromatin accessibility changes that did not return to baseline even 1 year after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. These data provide powerful evidence that persistent changes (i.e., trained immunity) may underlie PACS..”