Editing 2287: Pathogen Resistance

| titletext = We're not trapped in here with the coronavirus. The coronavirus is trapped in here with us.

This comic is the 13th comic in a row in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.

Rather than expressing humanity's fears and pessimism about the pandemic, this strip anthropomorphizes some of the pathogens which afflict humanity and presents ''their'' fears and pessimism about possibly going extinct.  This serves as a roundabout way of expressing hope and wonder at the ingenuity and tenacity of humans in the face of diseases past (with water sanitation, mosquito netting, and condoms) and present (with the power of social distancing and {{w|Gloria Gaynor}}'s hit song ''{{w|I Will Survive}}''). Gaynor recorded [https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/12/entertainment/coronavirus-gloria-gaynor-i-will-survive-trnd/index.html a video of herself washing her hands] for 20 seconds (the recommended length of time to wash hands for optimal cleanliness) to the background of her hit song.

The three pathogens presented are a {{w|virus}} (a {{w|bacteriophage}}), a small colony of a {{w|coccus}}-shaped {{w|bacterium}} (such as ''{{w|Streptococcus}}''), and a {{w|protozoon}} (a caricature of a {{w|ciliate}}).  Bacteriophages do not infect human cells (as the name suggests, they only infect bacteria), and have been studied for use as "{{w|phage therapy}}" ''for'' humans, especially in dealing with antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections (which is usually what people mean when they talk about "resistance" in the context of pathogens); however, they are iconic, instantly-recognizable viruses, and some have been found to [https://phys.org/news/2015-11-bacteria-bacteriophages-collude-formation-clinically.html collude with bacteria] in forming certain antibiotic-resistant {{w|biofilm}}s. {{w|Balantidiasis|Only one kind of ciliate}} is known to cause human disease; however, ciliates are iconic for protozoa just as bacteriophages are for viruses (see, for example, Gary Larson's now-venerable [https://www.thefarside.com ''The Far Side''] cartoons). The ciliate may be a 'stand-in' for protozoa that cause widespread and dangerous human diseases, such as {{w|malaria}}. The drawing is wildly out of scale; a protozoon is larger than a bacterium, which in turn is much larger than a virus.

"The scariest thing in the universe" to these microbes is the human immune system, represented in the second panel and later by {{w|antibody|antibodies}} (Y-shaped drawings) and anthropomorphized {{w|macrophage}}s (actual macrophages do not have glaring angry eyes{{Citation needed}}). When a {{w|T cell}} encounters an unfamiliar molecule in the body, such as the surface proteins of SARS-CoV-2, it will search for a {{w|B cell}} that produces a matching antibody.  If and when it finds such a B cell, it will command the B cell to rapidly multiply and mass-produce antibodies.  Those antibodies will then bind to any antigens they contact, which may impede the antigen (as shown by the tagged protozoon in panel 2 lagging behind its siblings) and will definitely mark them for destruction by macrophages, which {{w|phagocytosis|engulf ("HUUGGG") and digest}} antibody-tagged objects they encounter.  T cells can also be described as [https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170307142718.htm hugging cells], but a hug from a T cell is used to activate other processes, while a hug from a macrophage is a precursor to digestion.  White blood cells are quite persistent once they have detected an antigen, even [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_xh-bkiv_c chasing them over many cell lengths] in what must be a terrifying experience for the antigen being chased.

 

The colony of cocci protests that it shouldn't be possible for humans to evolve "pathogen resistance" in the short period of months since the breakout of COVID-19, when humans require over a decade to reach sexual maturity, and in modern times often wait at least two decades before having children.  Humans develop immunity to some diseases after being infected, as some B cells become memory cells and are stored for quick re-activation in the case of a later infection, but this is not very effective against viruses which mutate rapidly, such as influenza and the common cold (which is sometimes caused by coronaviruses, although not SARS-CoV-2).  Bacteria and viruses, on the other hand, reproduce in a matter of minutes, so that there may be hundreds of generations per day (comparable to the number of generations that have passed for humanity since the beginnings of agriculture), each of which presents opportunities to evolve new antigens that are not recognized by any antibodies present in the body or to evolve resistance to whatever antibiotic drugs the host might be using.  However, as the bacteriophage explains, humans generally do not become resistant against pathogens by genetic drift (although there are researchers who are seeking to identify genes that encode resistances to various diseases and then propagate them to other humans through gene editing, as in the {{w|He Jiankui affair}}).  Instead, humans "evolve" pathogen resistance through behavioral changes.  The behaviors presented in this comic strip include:

 

* Social or physical distancing, hand-washing, storable food, and electronic communications, to prevent the spread of diseases through casual contact, like COVID-19.

 

 

The title text reverts to the point of view of humans and references a famous line from the graphic novel ''{{w|Watchmen}}'', where the vigilante {{w|Rorschach (character)|Rorschach}}, whilst in prison and surrounded by enemies who want to kill him, proclaims: "I'm not locked up in here with YOU. You're locked up in here with ME."  This presents an alternate perspective on quarantine and isolation that some may find more bearable: rather than passively hiding indoors in fear of the virus, we are taking action to fragment the virus population so that our immune systems (and medical intervention, in more serious cases) can {{w|defeat in detail|defeat it in detail}}.

:[A small colony of coccus bacteria, a bacteriophage, and a protozoon, with an eye, are floating together.]

 

:[In a half height panel we see two macrophages, each with an eye, and lots of Y-shaped antibodies chasing three protozoa, also with one eye each. One protozoon is already covered in antibodies and seems to have fallen over. Above the panel is the text that the bacteriophage is narrating.]

:Macrophage: ''Who wants a Huuggg''

:Antibody-covered protozoon: ''Nooo!''

 

:[Close-up on bacteriophage]

 

:[Water pipes. A mosquito net with a bed under it. An unopened condom package.]

:Bacteriophage (off-panel left): It was great. We were tearing through lungs, spreading like wildfire.

:Voice (off-panel right): Hooray!

:Voice 2 (off-panel right): I ''hate'' lungs.

:Voice (off-panel left): What are they ''doing''?

:Bacteriophage (off-panel right): Nothing!

:Bacteriophage (off-panel right): They're just sitting there in their houses washing their hands.

:Protozoon: I ''wondered'' what those were for!

:Bacteriophage: Humans started looking at their phones, talking, writing words, and making signs. A human named "Gloria Gaynor" filmed herself singing at her bathroom sink.

:Bacteriophage: And then they bought lots of pasta.

:Bacteriophage: Then, around the world, they all went home and started washing their hands.

:Protozoon: Brains are the '''''worst'''''.

:Bacteriophage: They have a '''''lot''''' of pasta.

 

* This comic was released on Monday. Due to a technical issue with the [[2288: Collector's Edition|April Fools' comic]], this comic stayed up as the current comic until Friday instead of the usual Wednesday.