Friday, August 17, 2012

Well that makes sense

Virus Throws a Wrench in the Immune System
The cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the herpesvirus family. Although most people carry CMV for life, it hardly ever makes them sick. Researchers ... have now unveiled long term consequences of the on-going presence of CMV:  Later in life, more and more cells of the immune system concentrate on CMV, and as a result, the response against other viruses is weakened. These research results help to explain why the elderly are often more prone to infectious diseases than young people.
Slow, cumulative infectious activity causes long term health problems.  Huh.