Young people infected with a type of herpes virus have a better immune response to the flu vaccine than those not infected, scientists at Stanford University report Wednesday. In mice, the virus directly stops influenza itself.I read Martin Blaser's book Missing Microbes today. (Thanks Jamie!)
The findings, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, add to growing evidence that some viruses may help calibrate the immune system. They tell immune cells which pathogens to assault and which ones to leave alone.
Now, we're not talking about a rare virus that only a few people harbor. We're talking about a ubiquitous critter, called cytomegalovirus. About half of all Americans carry it. And so do nearly 100 percent of people in developing countries.
He worked on the research for Helicobacter pylori and ulcers. He's now convinced that HP also modulates immunity and eradicating it via antibiotics is causing all kinds of problems like obesity and asthma. I'm not sure he's right about a direct link to a lack of HP in modern western society, it's a more general effect of antibiotics, but it's a really good book, he actually covers the history and explains the basics very well.
