crazydoc
Well-known member
Fully vaccinated individuals developed robust anamnestic antibody and T cell responses following infection with the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant.
The important word/concept here is anamnestic. When the body is challenged by a pathogen for the first time, an immune response is elicited, which takes a period of time for the immune system to recognize it as foreign, and produce antibodies to it. Because it takes so long, if the pathogen is rapidly replicating/infecting, it can cause illness and death before the immune system is robust enough to fight it.
After time (months), most of the antibodies disappear, but there are still components of the immune system that have a memory of the pathogen, and when they see it again, a much more rapid response is provoked, enough to produce antibodies against the pathogen fast enough to prevent infection or serious disease.
That is what natural immunity or vaccination produces, and when re-challenged, antibody (and T cell) response is quick and robust.
The important word/concept here is anamnestic. When the body is challenged by a pathogen for the first time, an immune response is elicited, which takes a period of time for the immune system to recognize it as foreign, and produce antibodies to it. Because it takes so long, if the pathogen is rapidly replicating/infecting, it can cause illness and death before the immune system is robust enough to fight it.
After time (months), most of the antibodies disappear, but there are still components of the immune system that have a memory of the pathogen, and when they see it again, a much more rapid response is provoked, enough to produce antibodies against the pathogen fast enough to prevent infection or serious disease.
That is what natural immunity or vaccination produces, and when re-challenged, antibody (and T cell) response is quick and robust.