Washington, May 06: With the swine flu turning into a global pandemic, scientists have now discovered important clues about why influenza is more severe in some people than it is in others.
Researchers at the Children``s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have shown that the influenza virus can actually paralyse the immune systems of otherwise healthy individuals, which could lead to severe secondary bacterial infections, such as pneumonia.
Also, this immunological paralysis could be long-lived, which is important to know while developing treatment strategies to combat the virus.
"We have a very limited understanding of why some people who get influenza simply have a bad cold and other people become very sick and even die. The results of this study give us a much better sense of the mechanisms underlying bacterial infections arising on top of the viral infection,” said Dr. Kathleen Sullivan.
For the study, the researchers enrolled paediatric patients with severe influenza, and examined the level of cytokines, which serve as the first line initiators of immune response, in the blood plasma.
Although the researchers found elevated levels of cytokines, they also found a decreased response of toll-like receptors, which activate immune cell responses as a result of invading microbes.
Their findings suggested that the diminished response of those receptors could lead to the paralysis of the immune system, and ultimately cause secondary bacterial infections.
The influenza patients were compared with patients with moderate influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and a control group of healthy individuals.
It was found that the immune paralysis could have specifically resulted from influenza infection and was not seen in patients with respiratory syncytial virus.
The researchers say that their work might explain why one quarter of children who die from influenza, die from a bacterial infection occurring on top of the virus.
The study has been published online in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.