Thanks for the Memory

“Did your ever stop to think… and forget to start again?”  A.A.Milne

immunomodulation. [im″u-no-mod″u-la´shun]. adjustment of the immune response to a desired level, as in immunopotentiation, immunosuppression; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; immune system amnesia.

Interest has lately been revisited concerning a clever viral self-preservation and survival technique called immune system amnesia.  Some viral pathogens have the selfish ability to modify the human immune system in such a fashion that it forgets how to recognize and battle previously familiar infectious threats… while concurrently forgetting to remember and target the newly offending virus.  These viruses cleverly create temporary acquired immune deficiency syndromes for the purpose of protecting their own infectious hides.

Such immune system amnesias can be either short lived, or long lasting.  They present the added disease burden of crippling a host’s ability to remember and to battle harmful germs such as those responsible for often fatal bacterial infections like; pneumonias, septicemias, meningitis, and diarrhea.  Frequently, it’s not the primary viral infection that wreaks the greatest havoc; but is instead a secondary bacterial infection that drives home the fatal dagger thrust.

One viral example, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), is an apex predator pathogen responsible for the development of AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome)… an extreme immune system amnesia.  AIDS victims are put at severe risk of infection when their immune systems forget how to recognize and to combat the simplest of disease causing germs.

A recent article in the journal, Science, takes a retrospective look at another example of immune system amnesia imposed by the virus that causes measles in humans:  “Long-term measles-induced immunomodulation increases overall childhood infectious disease mortality” Michael J. Mina, Jessica E. Metcalf, Rik L. de Swart, A. D. M. E. Osterhaus, Bryan T. Grenfell; Science, May 2015:

The measles virus appears to have the ability to cause a long acting immune system amnesia that leaves infected individuals vulnerable to life-threatening secondary bacterial infections:  pneumonia, septicemia, meningitis, and diarrhea.  This particular acquired immune deficiency syndrome can last for up to several years.

Aggressive programs to vaccinate against measles pack the one-two punch of:  eradicating the number of active measles cases, AND eradicating a large number of cases of secondary bacterial pneumonia, septicemia, meningitis, and diarrhea. Trivialization of the risks of measles infection that leads to avoidance of measles vaccination… fails to consider and appreciate the hidden risks of mortal peril from secondary bacterial infections.

Subsequently, an aggressive and successful vaccination program against a virulent viral pathogen that causes immune system amnesia might offer a threefold benefit:

• Individual immunity for each vaccine recipient.
• Herd immunity for each non-vaccinated member in a predominantly vaccinated group, (with a herd vaccination rate of 80% or more).
• Protection against immune system amnesias that permit dangerous secondary bacterial infections.

 Successful antibiotic therapy is critically dependent upon competent immune system response.  Secondary bacterial infections that result from viral immune system amnesias can be less susceptible to antibiotic treatment due to a lack of strong immune response.  Treatment failures can contribute to the burgeoning problem of antibiotic resistance.

Drugs and biologics that suppress the immune system are commonly used to benefit organ transplant recipients, and to aid sufferers of auto-immune conditions including Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Antibiotic therapy can similarly be compromised in these patients. The famous co-founder of The Eagles, Glen Frey, recently succumbed to secondary bacterial pneumonia and diarrhea… while being treated for Rheumatoid Arthritis with a common biological immune suppressant.  Antibiotic treatment failed.

Vaccination against viruses known to additionally impair the immune system would be critical for the patient crowd treated with these agents... to help avoid problematic secondary infections, antibiotic therapy failures, and development of antibiotic resistance.  Vaccination against influenza and against pneumonia would also seem wise.

Retrospective reviews of the virulent influenza pandemics of the past are currently underway to evaluate their potential for having caused viral immune system amnesias.  Influenzas that kill are notorious for causing serious secondary bacterial pneumonia, meningitis, septicemia, and diarrhea… which are often the actual causes of death.  Might viral immune system suppression have played some mortal role?

 

Annual vaccination against influenza viruses would gain a whole new cachet were it established that flu viruses can cause problematic immune system amnesias.  However, while that jury is still out… the case in favor of an annual flu shot, and of both types of pneumonia vaccine, while awaiting the verdict seems pretty solid.

The notion that vaccination programs offer yet another health benefit in the form of protection against immune system amnesia and direct prevention of serious secondary infections is relatively new.  In addition to voicing gratitude for being spared the misery of suffering from a viral infection like the measles, rubella, mumps or the flu; we can now add from the bottom of our immune systems… “Thanks for the memory.”

Join Us on Facebook:

Alpha Clinical Services Pharmacy & Sociably Secure-NGO