<
https://www.sciencealert.com/zombie-remnants-of-covid-19-hunt-in-packs-and-kill-our-immune-cells>
“'Zombie' coronavirus fragments not only help drive inflammation in long-COVID,
but also destroy our immune cells.
A recent study by an international team of more than 30 authors reveals how the
destruction of the virus within our body leaves dangerous protein fragments
that target specific immune cells, which may explain some of the debilitating
consequences millions of people with long-COVID now face.
"These fragments target a specific kind of curvature on the membranes of
cells," explains bioengineer Gerard Wong from the University of California, Los
Angeles. "Cells that are spiky, that are star-shaped, or that have lots of
tentacles end up getting preferentially suppressed."
These "spiky" cells include early-warning dendritic cells that detect and alert
the rest of the body to viruses, as well as CD8+ and CD4+ T cells that help
destroy already infected cells.
Previous research already noted this T cell depletion, which has since been
recognized as a plausible diagnostic tool.
"Viruses do so many things that we don't understand," says Wong. "We want to
understand what all the leftover viral matter does to us, both during COVID and
after. With these viral fragments, all of a sudden there's a whole new range of
possibilities to consider."”
Via Violet Blue’s
Threat Model - Covid: February 5, 2026
https://www.patreon.com/posts/covid-february-5-149973355
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
