IgG4, XBB.1.5, Viral Persistence, Other Topics
In this email: some topics I’ve seen in the past couple of weeks. I am not a doctor nor a health professional. This is not medical advice. Consult experts you trust.
IgG4 Study
There’s a study that demonstrates the population distribution of IgG1-IgG4 antibodies changes after repeated mRNA vaccine doses. Some people (who may not know what they’re talking about) have been extrapolating from that study that mRNA vaccines are making immune responses weaker, not stronger.
Here’s a thread that purports to provide more context and debunk that worry:
Nirenberg answers questions in the replies, here are two good encapsulations he wrote:
“IgG4 related disease is not caused by IgG4. There is no level of IgG4 that causes IgG4 related disease. Elevated IgG4 levels are a result of the condition.”
“The vaccines have been given to billions of people and have shown an excellent safety profile and are continuously being monitored for any new safety problems. This study doesn’t call their safety record into question.”
The following thread by the same author explains why you might or might not believe him when he writes about immunology.
And bonus tweet from him about the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System:
XBB.1.5
Highly immunity-evasive, one of the best variants so far for invading human cells via ACE2.
Eric Topol - A new variant alert (Substack newsletter)
Twitter, JPWeiland (retweeted by Eric Topol): I can confidently say XBB.1.5 will NOT approach the levels of hospitalizations and deaths seen in the initial Omicron wave in the US. However I do believe it will be the highest seen since then. Don't be panicked, be informed 👨🔬 [note that he’s just talking about hospitalizations and deaths, not cases nor long COVID]
Twitter, Eric Feigl-Ding - 5) we aren’t ringing the alarm bells of the new #XBB15 wave enough. Wastewater #SARSCoV2 now at a HIGHER level nationwide than even Spring 2020 wave or the Alpha wave of winter 2020-2021. Only second to initial Omicron winter 2021-2022. But it’s still climbing.
Where were the major variants that led to continental or global dominance first detected?
Viral Persistence
One of the topics I’m tracking is that SARS-CoV-2 persists in organs after the initial infection. It’s not clear what, if anything, this does to one’s health. Obviously, it is also not known yet whether or not the virus will reactivate in the future, possibly causing a new form of disease. (Other viruses do this; HIV initial infection is similar to flu, but 8-10 years later can reactivate to cause AIDs; HPV can later cause cancer; chickenpox can later cause shingles, etc.)
Also to note, this means that doctors, pathologists, or medical examiners handling organs need to be aware that there may be live virus in the tissues, and to take proper precautions against infection. But that’s not most of us.
This just recounts another organ (gut tissue) where persistent SARS-CoV-2 has been found.
Other Topics from Twitter
These are various tweets I’ve noticed in the past couple of weeks. You may or may not find them valuable or believable.
tern has a lot of short explainer threads, somewhere between anecdote and fact. For example:
Doctors wondering about trends.
China has changed its COVID stance. This is a whole big story, but I’m only going to include this one post in today’s email.
Politics…
And lastly, previous topic, T cells.
Happy new year—stay safe, stay well.