"Past Cold Immunity Causes Severe COVID-19 Infections" or "Cold Immunity Contributing to More Severe COVID-19 Cases"

In a groundbreaking study, a team of medical researchers led by Martin Zand, M.D., Ph.D., senior associate dean of Clinical Research at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has uncovered a significant link between common cold coronaviruses and the immune response to COVID-19.

The study, which was funded by the National Institute of Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Award, and the Rochester Vaccine Fellowship, involved a comprehensive analysis of 188 blood samples collected before December 2019. Some of these samples were provided by the UR CTSI's COVID-19 Biobank.

The research team, which includes Jiong Wang, B.Med., M.S., Dongmei Li, Ph.D., Andrew Cameron, Ph.D., Qian Zhou, B.M., M.S., Alexander Wiltse, Jennifer Nayak, M.D., and Nicole Pecora, found that hospitalized patients with COVID showed a large, rapid increase in antibodies that targeted SARS-CoV-2 and several other coronaviruses.

This immune imprinting, where immunity to one threat (seasonal coronaviruses) hijacks the immune response to a new, but similar threat (SARS-CoV-2), has been likened to 'immune distraction'. The immune system of sicker COVID patients was responding robustly in a less protective way, taking longer to produce protective antibodies.

When levels of these antibodies rose faster than levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies, patients had worse disease and a higher chance of death. The antibodies were targeting parts of the spike protein that were similar to common cold coronaviruses, preventing them from neutralizing the new SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In light of these findings, the study suggests that regular development of new vaccines targeting these new strains will be necessary. Pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer (in partnership with BioNTech) and CureVac are actively advancing updated vaccines designed for new variants. Pfizer's Comirnaty vaccine, which has shown positive Phase-3 results for the 2025-2026 season targeting new virus variants, is one such example.

Martin Zand, M.D., Ph.D., emphasized that the development of new vaccines is a positive development, not a reflection of the original science being wrong. He also highlighted that immune imprinting has been linked to poor immune responses to other viruses, like flu, and can have implications for vaccine strategies.

This study adds to a growing pool of evidence that immune imprinting is at play in COVID immune responses. As new, milder strains of SARS-CoV-2 may continue to emerge and circulate on an annual or seasonal basis, the need for continued research and vaccine development remains crucial.

"Past Cold Immunity Causes Severe COVID-19 Infections" or "Cold Immunity Contributing to More Severe COVID-19 Cases"