Science: Measles infection leaves immune system 'amnesia'

Photo: 123RFtwo recent scientific papers published in the journal Science and Science Immunology have found an explanation for this phenomenonIt turns out that the measles virus can attack the body's immune system, causing a significant reduction in the immune system's antibody library, which has a specific presence in the pathogenThis makes the immune system's resistance to other pathogens significantly reducedBoth studies not only revealed the impact of measles on the immune response to indications, but also re-emphasized the importance of receiving the measles vaccinethe study published in Science, an international team led by researchers at Harvard Medical School used a technique called VirScan to analyze antibody banks in children's blood before and after measles infectionOur immune system is able to produce antibodies against specific pathogens after exposure to specific pathogensThese antibodies persist in the body' memory, so when the same pathogens invade again, they are able to react quickly to protect the body from infectionThis technique detects the diversity of antibody banks by identifying different types of antibodies in children's antibodiesresults show that after being infected with measles, the antibody bank in children will lose 11-73%! This means that these children's immune "memory" of previous pathogen invasions is lostWhen the pathogen invades again, the immune system does not respond immediately, increasing the child's sensitivity to other pathogensin the study, published in Science Immunology, researchers studied B-cells in childrenB cells in the human body are immune cells that produce antibodies against pathogens in the immune responseAfter the pathogen is infected, some B cells become memory B cells, which retain the ability to produce specific antibodies to prevent the next invasion of the pathogenHowever, the number of memory B cells was also significantly reduced in patients infected with measles virusboth studiesshow that measles infection weakens the adaptive immune response system, and even if the patient's measles symptoms heal, the body's immune system remains immune ally for a long time and loses its ability to protect other pathogens that are already immunein recent years, due to mistrust and misunderstanding of vaccines, the original lysofing epidemic has re-emerged in some countries, and measles is one of the infectious diseases that has seen a resurgent incidenceIn addition to revealing the effects of the measles virus on the immune system, the study re-emphasized the importance of vaccination against measlesBecause measles vaccination not only prevents measles infection, but also indirectly increases people's immunity to other pathogensReferences:Retrieved November 3, 2019, from https://smina et al., (2019)Measles virus virus ess preexisting antibodies that-the-go protection other sScience, DOI: 10.1126/science.aay6485Incomplete genetic re reconstitution of B cell pools contributes to yn ddaiad asuppression after measlesScience Immunology, DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aay6125