China may be taking the coronavirus game too far. COVID-19 that shut down countries of the world in the past seven months, is now taken beyond human race into the animal kingdom. Curiously, monkeys now test positive to coronavirus, but Chinese researchers are working on their immunity after infection.
A study in China released on Thursday in the journal Science revealed that test monkeys infected with novel coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic were shielded from reinfection for about 28 days.
The study showed that while the monkeys showed initial immunity, the duration such immunity will last in humans was not clear. The scholars observed that it will be necessary to wait months, or even years, to know if the millions of people infected at the start of the coronavirus pandemic are protected from re-infection.
It was highlighted that scientists from Peking Union Medical College conducted experiment on rhesus macaques, often used because of their similarities to humans, to find out if they have a short-term immunity to coronavirus.
The scientists indicated that six rhesus macaques were infected in their trachea with a dose of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They developed mild to moderate symptoms and took about two weeks to recover.
The scientists said that 28 days after the first infection, four of the six monkeys received another dose of virus, but this time, despite a brief rise in temperature, they showed no sign of reinfection.
The scientists highlighted that by taking frequent samples the researchers discovered that the peak viral load was reached three days after the monkeys were infected.
According to research findings, the monkeys showed a stronger immune response after the first infection, producing more so-called neutralizing antibodies that may have protected them against short-term reinfection.
The scientists said that more experiments are needed to see how long the immune defense remains.
Studies like this may be leaking the secret that China invented coronavirus as the US President Donald Trump said or has stock of coronavirus.