Pathogen Resistance
Pathogen Resistance
[A small colony of coccus bacteria, a bacteriophage, and a protozoon, with an eye, are floating together.] Bacteriophage: I'm worried about humans developing resistance to us. Bacteriophage: Using pasta.
[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.] Bacteriophage (narrating): The human immune system is a nightmare. Bacteriophage (narrating): It's the worst. Bacteriophage (narrating): It's the scariest thing in the universe. Macrophage: Who wants a Huuggg Antibody-covered protozoon: Nooo!
[Close-up on bacteriophage] Bacteriophage: We can only survive by staying ahead of it.  Keep jumping from person to person, keep mutating and evolving. Bacteriophage: But now humans are adapting too fast.
[Water pipes. A mosquito net with a bed under it. An unopened condom package.] Bacteriophage (narrating): We spread through their water. They built pipes. Bacteriophage (narrating): We used mosquitoes. They put out nets and poison everywhere. Bacteriophage (narrating): We spread through sex, and suddenly they all had these plastic things.
[Depictions of seven coronavirus with spikes, one very large, one large, two small and three tiny. They are above a picture of Hairbun and Cueball shaking hands, while exhaling a cloud and tiny droplets spraying all over from both their clouds from exhaling.] Bacteriophage (narrating): This time, we really thought we had them. Bacteriophage (narrating): One of us got good at transmission through everyday contact.
[A row of four sets of human lungs and their trachea is shown. The first set of lungs has just one black dot in the left and a few black dots in the right lung. The second has the bottom right lung covered in black, and the left lung has a bit black on either side and still some black dots in the middle. The third has most of each lung covered in black, except maybe a quarter of each lungs top. The fourth set of lungs are completely filled with black. Below them is a graph showing exponential growth with an X-axis with 17 equidistant ticks and to the right a Y-axis with eight equidistant ticks. This time the narrating is indicated to come from off-panel left with a speech line, and so are the two answers, coming from the off-panel right. It is like if the speakers are looking at this chart from off-panel.] 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.
[Close-up of bacteriophage "head".] Bacteriophage: Then, all of a sudden, humans everywhere just... stopped . They stopped working, stopped seeing friends.
[Megan is sitting on a couch with a remote control in her hand, watching a flat screen TV. Cueball is at a sink with a mirror, washing his hands under hot water indicated by heat lines coming up from his hands. They are facing away from each other. Again speech is come from off-panel left and right with speech lines] 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.
[Cueball stands in an otherwise empty room He is surrounded by falling droplets, many of which are now lying on the floor around his feet. Among the droplets is a coronavirus that shouts out.] Bacteriophage (narrating): Suddenly humans became dead ends. We tried to jump from one to the next, but there's no one to jump to. Coronavirus: Help! Bacteriophage (narrating): We can't escape.
[Three large Coronaviruses and several smaller ones are encroached on by at least four macrophages, one showing a large eye, surrounding them as well as streams of Y-shaped antibodies mowing in towards the viruses. A rectangular panel at the top, is placed over the top edge of the panel. The narrating text is inside this panel:] Bacteriophage (narrating): We're trapped in there with those ghastly immune systems. Antibodies: It's huug tiiiiime Macrophage top left: Come here for a huuug Macrophage bottom left: Huuuuugs
[A slim panel, with text above and below the panel with narration. In the panel there are two larger coronaviruses covered in antibodies and attacked directly by macrophages. Smaller coronavirus are shown covered in antibodies as well. Some of the macrophages are actively devouring viruses. While others already contain broken-down remnants of a coronavirus. Most of the macrophages has an eye.] Bacteriophage (narrating): Even if we win a fight, there's nowhere to go. Macrophage a the top: Huuuuuuuggss Macrophage at the bottom: Huuugs Bacteriophage (narrating): By staying inside, humans have become resistant.
[Back to the discussion between the coccus, the bacteriophage and the protozoon with eye.] Coccus bacteria: How could they evolve that fast? Humans take decades to reproduce! Bacteriophage: It's not evolution. It's something with their brains. Protozoon: I wondered what those were for!
[Bacteriophage pointing with a leg to Cueball and Megan who are looking at their phones; Megan and Cueball are then walking to the right; Megan and Cueball are shown at separate sinks with mirrors washing their hands.] 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.
[Bacteriophage and protozoon with eye.] Bacteriophage: They saw what we were doing and changed their behavior to stop us. Protozoon: Brains are the worst .
[Coccus, bacteriophage and protozoon with eye.] Coccus bacteria: It's not over, right? They can't sustain this. They must be bored and tired. Coccus bacteria: Will they give up? Bacteriophage: I don't know. They seem determined to protect each other.
[Coccus, bacteriophage and protozoon with eye.] Bacteriophage: And Bacteriophage: They have a lot of pasta.

This comic is the 13th comic in a row in a series of comics related to the 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 Gloria Gaynor 's hit song I Will Survive ). Gaynor recorded 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 virus (a bacteriophage ), a small colony of a coccus -shaped bacterium (such as Streptococcus ), and a protozoon (a caricature of a ciliate ).  Bacteriophages do not infect human cells (as the name suggests, they only infect bacteria), and have been studied for use as " 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 collude with bacteria in forming certain antibiotic-resistant biofilms . 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 The Far Side cartoons). The ciliate may be a 'stand-in' for protozoa that cause widespread and dangerous human diseases, such as 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 antibodies (Y-shaped drawings) and anthropomorphized macrophages (actual macrophages do not have glaring angry eyes [ citation needed ] ). When a T cell encounters an unfamiliar molecule in the body, such as the surface proteins of SARS-CoV-2, it will search for a 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 engulf ("HUUGGG") and digest antibody-tagged objects they encounter.  T cells can also be described as 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 chasing them over many cell lengths in what must be a terrifying experience for the antigen being chased.
The comic humorously considers pasta as an essential part of humans' fight against coronavirus. Pasta is an example of a dried food that can last a long time, if the orders to stay indoors continue, and was one of many products bought in mass quantities by shoppers "panic-buying" at the onset of lockdowns. Pasta is a popular dish in Italy, which is experiencing particular difficulties with COVID-19, but not every culture consumes or likes pasta. In addition, the Gaynor vid was initially shared via soundpasta.com among other services, and "pasta" is sometimes used to refer to sharing over the internet via cut-and-paste.
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 He Jiankui affair ).  Instead, humans "evolve" pathogen resistance through behavioral changes.  The behaviors presented in this comic strip include:
These behaviors do not come from our genomes, passed along through reproduction, but from our brains, passed along by communication.  Some of the language of epidemiology is also used in discussion of communication, most notably "going viral" -- in this case, information is going viral to prevent viruses from going viral.
The title text reverts to the point of view of humans and references a famous line from the graphic novel Watchmen , where the vigilante 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 defeat it in detail .
[A small colony of coccus bacteria, a bacteriophage, and a protozoon, with an eye, are floating together.] Bacteriophage: I'm worried about humans developing resistance to us. Bacteriophage: Using pasta.
[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.] Bacteriophage (narrating): The human immune system is a nightmare. Bacteriophage (narrating): It's the worst. Bacteriophage (narrating): It's the scariest thing in the universe. Macrophage: Who wants a Huuggg Antibody-covered protozoon: Nooo!
[Close-up on bacteriophage] Bacteriophage: We can only survive by staying ahead of it.  Keep jumping from person to person, keep mutating and evolving. Bacteriophage: But now humans are adapting too fast.
[Water pipes. A mosquito net with a bed under it. An unopened condom package.] Bacteriophage (narrating): We spread through their water. They built pipes. Bacteriophage (narrating): We used mosquitoes. They put out nets and poison everywhere. Bacteriophage (narrating): We spread through sex, and suddenly they all had these plastic things.
[Depictions of seven coronavirus with spikes, one very large, one large, two small and three tiny. They are above a picture of Hairbun and Cueball shaking hands, while exhaling a cloud and tiny droplets spraying all over from both their clouds from exhaling.] Bacteriophage (narrating): This time, we really thought we had them. Bacteriophage (narrating): One of us got good at transmission through everyday contact.
[A row of four sets of human lungs and their trachea is shown. The first set of lungs has just one black dot in the left and a few black dots in the right lung. The second has the bottom right lung covered in black, and the left lung has a bit black on either side and still some black dots in the middle. The third has most of each lung covered in black, except maybe a quarter of each lungs top. The fourth set of lungs are completely filled with black. Below them is a graph showing exponential growth with an X-axis with 17 equidistant ticks and to the right a Y-axis with eight equidistant ticks. This time the narrating is indicated to come from off-panel left with a speech line, and so are the two answers, coming from the off-panel right. It is like if the speakers are looking at this chart from off-panel.] 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.
[Close-up of bacteriophage "head".] Bacteriophage: Then, all of a sudden, humans everywhere just... stopped . They stopped working, stopped seeing friends.
[Megan is sitting on a couch with a remote control in her hand, watching a flat screen TV. Cueball is at a sink with a mirror, washing his hands under hot water indicated by heat lines coming up from his hands. They are facing away from each other. Again speech is come from off-panel left and right with speech lines] 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.
[Cueball stands in an otherwise empty room He is surrounded by falling droplets, many of which are now lying on the floor around his feet. Among the droplets is a coronavirus that shouts out.] Bacteriophage (narrating): Suddenly humans became dead ends. We tried to jump from one to the next, but there's no one to jump to. Coronavirus: Help! Bacteriophage (narrating): We can't escape.
[Three large Coronaviruses and several smaller ones are encroached on by at least four macrophages, one showing a large eye, surrounding them as well as streams of Y-shaped antibodies mowing in towards the viruses. A rectangular panel at the top, is placed over the top edge of the panel. The narrating text is inside this panel:] Bacteriophage (narrating): We're trapped in there with those ghastly immune systems. Antibodies: It's huug tiiiiime Macrophage top left: Come here for a huuug Macrophage bottom left: Huuuuugs
[A slim panel, with text above and below the panel with narration. In the panel there are two larger coronaviruses covered in antibodies and attacked directly by macrophages. Smaller coronavirus are shown covered in antibodies as well. Some of the macrophages are actively devouring viruses. While others already contain broken-down remnants of a coronavirus. Most of the macrophages has an eye.] Bacteriophage (narrating): Even if we win a fight, there's nowhere to go. Macrophage a the top: Huuuuuuuggss Macrophage at the bottom: Huuugs Bacteriophage (narrating): By staying inside, humans have become resistant.
[Back to the discussion between the coccus, the bacteriophage and the protozoon with eye.] Coccus bacteria: How could they evolve that fast? Humans take decades to reproduce! Bacteriophage: It's not evolution. It's something with their brains. Protozoon: I wondered what those were for!
[Bacteriophage pointing with a leg to Cueball and Megan who are looking at their phones; Megan and Cueball are then walking to the right; Megan and Cueball are shown at separate sinks with mirrors washing their hands.] 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.
[Bacteriophage and protozoon with eye.] Bacteriophage: They saw what we were doing and changed their behavior to stop us. Protozoon: Brains are the worst .
[Coccus, bacteriophage and protozoon with eye.] Coccus bacteria: It's not over, right? They can't sustain this. They must be bored and tired. Coccus bacteria: Will they give up? Bacteriophage: I don't know. They seem determined to protect each other.
[Coccus, bacteriophage and protozoon with eye.] Bacteriophage: And Bacteriophage: They have a lot of pasta.
