Turner et al.: "SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans"; yes, one year ago published but swept under the rug by CDC, NIH, FDA, media as if it did NOT exist

This paper showed us what we needed to know as to long-lived immunity with COVID virus yet it was as if it was never published so I re-highlight; why? because natural immunity is life-long!

Well, as an example, we knew that long-lived bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) provided robust protection. We always knew this (see 1,2,3,4,5,6,7). We also knew that once COVID-recovered, you were at significantly lower risk of re-infection with COVID virus and that the virus had to be appreciably different (substantially mutated on the target antigen) to breach immunity (see 8,9,10). Omicron is highly infection (e.g. BA.4 and BA.5 clades) and presents as a nearly different (sufficiently different) virus given the multiple mutations on the spike protein to present the immune system with a rechallenge and a potential breach. However, the predominant symptoms are mild akin to a common cold.

What did Turner et al. show in the NATURE publication?

SOURCE:

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans

‘Here we show that in convalescent individuals who had experienced mild SARS-CoV-2 infections (n = 77), levels of serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) antibodies declined rapidly in the first 4 months after infection and then more gradually over the following 7 months, remaining detectable at least 11 months after infection. Anti-S antibody titres correlated with the frequency of S-specific plasma cells in bone marrow aspirates from 18 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 at 7 to 8 months after infection. S-specific BMPCs were not detected in aspirates from 11 healthy individuals with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

We show that S-binding BMPCs are quiescent, which suggests that they are part of a stable compartment. Consistently, circulating resting memory B cells directed against SARS-CoV-2 S were detected in the convalescent individuals. Overall, our results indicate that mild infection with SARS-CoV-2 induces robust antigen-specific, long-lived humoral immune memory in humans.’