Viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi colonized the earth long before humanity and are in constant competition with us. New strategies for infectious medicine are now being sought at a mammoth conference in Barcelona. Current examples show: It’s high time.
For almost two years, the coronavirus could not be controlled despite vaccination and antibody treatment. Mainly because of this record-breaking period of infection, the recently reported case of a 72-year-old from the Amsterdam University Hospital made headlines around the world. From February 2022, the patient had to struggle with Sars-CoV-2 for a full 613 days. He had previously suffered from a malignant change in his bone marrow, which was becoming increasingly unable to produce functional blood cells.
Of course, this is life-threatening, and so the patient had healthy stem cells transplanted to strengthen blood formation. But because cells donated to a recipient organism are genetically foreign, they are usually rejected. Such reactions can often be kept under control by suppressing the immune system with medication. This is good for the function of the new stem cells, but bad for the defense against subsequent infections.
And so the Amsterdam patient was also infected with Sars-CoV-2, but was unable to get rid of the virus despite several Covid-19 vaccinations due to his weak immune system. Even a corona antibody from the laboratory administered via infusion couldn’t change anything. On the contrary.