Monkeys develop short-term immunity to coronavirus, Chinese study finds
The experiment took place at the Peking Union Medical College in Beijing and used rhesus macaques as test subjects, as they are relatively similar to humans.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFMONKEY BUSINESS in the Amazon rainforest.(photo credit: BARRY LEVY)
Monkeys infected with coronavirus developed a short-term immunity that lasted up to 28 days, according to a Chinese study published in the journal Science on Thursday.The experiment took place at the Peking Union Medical College in Beijing and used rhesus macaques as test subjects, as they are relatively similar to humans and are often used in similar experiments. The study attempted to find whether or not the monkeys would develop some kind of immunity after being exposed to the coronavirus, and how long that immunity would last. All six monkeys infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus developed mild to moderate symptoms and recovered after roughly two weeks. They were given the first injection of coronavirus and 28 days later four of the original six monkeys received a second dose of the virus.The study claims that while the monkeys showed a slight rise in temperature, they showed no further signs of infection, indicating the development of a short-term immunity effect.The study concluded that the monkeys' immune response produced more neutralizing antibodies after the first infection, meaning it got stronger and may have protected the monkeys against reinfection for a limited period of time.While more experiments are needed to draw any clear conclusions, the study may shed a light on whether people develop immunity to the coronavirus after they've recovered from it, a question that scientists have been asking ever since the pandemic broke out.
