All Questions
Tagged with immune-system virus
42 questions
11
votes
1
answer
2k
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Can someone have an allergic reaction to a virus?
My understanding of allergies is that they are more or less immune responses to non-pathogenic substances. The definition on MedicineNet more or less agrees with this.
While I don't have any known ...
- 386
0
votes
0
answers
21
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Relationship between Th1 and Th2 and their cross-regulation (+ understanding what cross-regulation means)
Apologies, biology is not my area of expertise but I do have an interest in it.
I "know" that Th1 and Th2 cross-regulate but I'm not sure what that means... Could it mean that if one ...
0
votes
0
answers
20
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When speaking of vaccine efficacy (for COVID-19, or other), is immune response or efficacy really being measured? [duplicate]
I've been performing many web searches using combinations of the words "vaccine", "vaccination", "COVID-19", "coronavirus", "efficacy", and "...
- 2,021
1
vote
1
answer
110
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Are many viruses actually good for us?... maybe even essential to our survival?
We know that a very large proportion of bacteria are essential to our good health. Every other day we see press release about the microbiome, and its multitude of health implications. Is there ...
- 779
2
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0
answers
46
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How durable is a human immunity to an adenovirus (at least specific serotypes)?
There are few SARS-Cov-2 vaccines that use adenovirus vectors as vehicles (human's Ad5, Ad26, chimps' ChAdOx1, probably something else). A side effect of such a vaccine is that an inoculated organism ...
-5
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2
answers
174
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How can vaccines be effective against respiratory viruses when it is the innate immune system that is the primary response to such pathogens?
I don't understand how vaccines can be thought to be effective against respiratory viruses. We have influenza "vaccines" and now the new mRNA vaccine against COVID-19. However, my ...
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3
votes
1
answer
47
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Given that reinfection is possible with the flu viruses, why didn't the 1918 flu pandemic last forever?
We know that reinfection is possible with the seasonal flu and one could surmise that it was also possible with the 1918 flu strain. But if reinfection is possible and immunity to the flu doesn't last ...
- 1,496
1
vote
1
answer
57
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What makes "chickenpox parties" recommended?
Prior to the availability of the chickenpox vaccine in the mid-90s, I recall the prevailing medical recommendation was to expose children to the virus at "chickenpox parties" with other kids ...
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2
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0
answers
43
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Which HPV types are detectable by the immune system to remove it from body?
Some resources (like WHO) says that HPV can be cleared by the immune system as the following.
WHO
There are many types of HPV, and many do not cause problems. HPV infections usually clear up without ...
6
votes
1
answer
140
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How long does it take for the COVID-19 antibody to disappear?
I saw a news article says; 90 days after the infection with ncov19, several patients had no detectable antibodies in their bloodstream. This seems to be one of their evidence that immunity against ...
- 485
2
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1
answer
555
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Is it possible to remove HPV from the body by strengthening the immune system?
I saw some content which says HPV can be removed from the body by strengthening the immune system:
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/surv-manual/chpt05-hpv.html
Most HPV infections are transient and ...
1
vote
0
answers
23
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Can SARS-CoV-2 possibly overcome herd immunity without mutation in densely populated countries and places? [closed]
Can the coronavirus that causes covid-19 possibly overcome herd immunity without mutation using immune individuals as hubs till it reaches vulnerable individuals in very densely populated countries ...
- 121
2
votes
1
answer
185
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What makes a person asymptomatic? How does it work?
As someone who's simply asking out of curiosity, I've tried looking into the topic myself, but often times I run into answers with little or no detail on the subject. Sometimes the question is more ...
- 23
6
votes
2
answers
5k
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What is the Fatality Rate of the Common Cold? [closed]
During COVID-19, we've heard many comparisons between SARS-CoV-2 and the Flu, especially in terms of the case fatality rate (CFR). Currently, the Flu is thought to be around 0.1%, and according to the ...
- 171
2
votes
2
answers
68
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Has World Health Organization provided nutrition/diet/exercise guidelines to strengthen the human immune system for better responding to COVID-19?
Medical sciences is not my subject but my personal feeling is that:
A strengthen immune system can better respond to viruses than a weak immune system.
A balanced diet in combination with exercise ...
- 191
1
vote
1
answer
38
views
Are there any other reasons than mutation that could cause a virus to be able to infect the same person twice?
If you are infected by a virus, and subsequently survive it and get completely rid of the infection, are there any other possible reasons for the same virus to be able to infect you again any time in ...
- 113
3
votes
1
answer
948
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Does the blood removed from the body still have immunity?
I know that blood contains white blood cells (which attack pathogens). Suppose we take half a liter of blood out of the body and implant the virus into it. Can the white blood cells in that half a ...
2
votes
1
answer
65
views
Why is the immune response to RSV so short lived (and what else makes a vaccine for RSV difficult)?
From a Bio SE answer that doesn't delve into details on this (because it was a broad question on all "colds") one can't help but notice that RSV has the shortest antibody persistence listed in that ...
3
votes
3
answers
84
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Is it possible for humans to be resistant to certain viral infections without having specific antibodies in their blood?
Popular understanding of how viruses work split immunity into four categories:
Virus doesn't affect humans at all
No immunity - will get worst possible infection, seems to be the case with COVID-19
...
- 1,496
3
votes
2
answers
119
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Can you recover from COVID-19, and then be reinfected so as to be a danger to other people?
Assuming I've contracted COVID-19 this January and made a full recovery and the antibodies have already left my body again. Now, I come into contact with someone who is sick and I inhale some COVID-19 ...
- 133
6
votes
2
answers
162
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Is there a virus from which humans can recover, but which doesn't grant long lasting immunity?
Prior to the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic I was under the impression that viruses fall into two categories:
Diseases from which you recover and afterwards become fully immune. When reinfected with a mutated ...
- 1,496
3
votes
2
answers
56
views
Does exposure to less than the Minimum Infective Dose act as a vaccine in some cases?
I know that there's no immune response/adaptation of some (relatively) new viruses like HIV for which it's estimated that it would take at least 32,000 years for humans to develop a non-pathogenic ...
3
votes
1
answer
144
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If I get COVID-19, can I get cured by myself?
Suppose I get infected by COVID-19.
I am a healthy person but with weight issues, according to the standard weight tables.
Can my immune system cure me by itself? That is, without the need of ...
- 574
1
vote
0
answers
99
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Is this explanation of coronavirus accurate?
I have seen the following post popping up on Facebook recently:
🧐🧐🧐
Feeling confused as to why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal
flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this ...
- 111
1
vote
1
answer
117
views
How would the tuberculosis vaccine (BCG) decrease severity of COVID-19?
Two academic hospitals in The Netherlands (Nijmegen and Utrecht) just got approval to experiment with using a tuberculosis vaccine (BCG) to try to better protect hospital workers against coronavirus.
...
- 1,059
3
votes
2
answers
202
views
Could an infinitesimal amount of Covid-19 be used to trigger immune response?
Could one be injected with an infinitesimal amount of Covid-19 viral particles, in a way that it would trigger an immune response long enough before the virus overran the body? Could it be injected ...
- 141
5
votes
1
answer
417
views
Does immunity to some coronavirus confer any immunity to other strains?
Genetic sequencing of COVID-19 in China in December 2019 revealed two strains of the virus, identified as S and L, with S being the ancestral version while L was more prevalent (70:30 ratio) and more ...
- 161
3
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0
answers
29
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Is there a spread of immunity agains viruses due to failed infections?
As an interested layperson (having small kids) I was told and read that some viruses are extremely infectious. E.g., very few virus particles of Norovirus (some say less than five) can cause an ...
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4
votes
2
answers
337
views
Will there ever be a universal vaccine for the common cold?
If I get infected once with the virus which causes a common cold, does that mean I will not get infected with the same strain of the virus ever in my lifetime?
Is the immune system capable and smart ...
- 93
2
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0
answers
24
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Should everyone take the ebola vaccine to achieve global herd immunity?
Ebola virus disease (EVD), also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) or simply Ebola, is a viral hemorrhagic fever of humans and other primates caused by ebolaviruses. 1
Should everyone in the ...
- 1,059
1
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1
answer
45
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Varicella vaccine UK, benefits vs risk
first question on medicine stackexchange so apologies if formatting isn't right.
My specific questions are
If vaccinated <5 years old, is the vaccine still likely to be protective at childbearing ...
- 13
4
votes
1
answer
97
views
What would happen to the body if the immune system failed to respond to a rhinovirus?
What exactly would happen to the body if the immune system did not detect or respond to a the common cold virus like Rhinovirus?
- 153
3
votes
1
answer
313
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How many people are naturally immune to the chicken pox virus?
What percentage of people are naturally immune to the chicken pox virus?
- 230
5
votes
1
answer
246
views
What are the limits on the amount of pathogens that a body can be immune to at any given time?
Before the seasonal flu vaccine was recommended for all healthy adults, people in developed countries might get vaccinated against on the order of 10 different pathogens and develop immunity for some ...
- 59
1
vote
1
answer
48
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Would it possible for me to get tested for past viral infection after vaccination?
I may or may not have a viral infection in the past and then I took vaccination for it. Would it possible for me to get tested for past viral infection?
For example HPV virus using IGG test.
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7
votes
1
answer
142
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Does stopping fever hinder the process of killing bacteria via fever?
Since the body produces fever in order to kill bacteria, wouldn't decreasing the fever by taking anti fever medication decrease the body's ability to fight the bacteria?
Assuming you have non life ...
- 638
2
votes
0
answers
43
views
has your body killed a cold virus before you experience any symptoms?
A friend tells me that by the time you feel the first symptoms of a cold (runny nose, sore throat, whatever the first symptoms are), your immune system has actually already killed the virus, and the ...
- 139
2
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0
answers
79
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Is the common cold deadly to a suppressed immune system?
If you were taking an immune system suppressant such as Prograf (Tacrolimus) for a long period of time would a virus like the common cold linger in the body and cause infection over time and possibly ...
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6
votes
1
answer
2k
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Does fasting improve your immune system even when you are already having some infection?
I am one of the self-motivated activists who run some groups to answer various misconceptions about science and try to fight against ignorance, pseudo-sciences and blind faiths. I was recently asked ...
- 63
2
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0
answers
25
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What is the minimum exposure to a virus to acheive immunization?
Is it possible to gain immunity against a virus if the exposure to the virus is not large enough to cause any clinical symptoms? And if so, would the immunity achieved without symptoms be as strong as ...
- 121
4
votes
1
answer
669
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In a viral infection, which symptoms are caused by the virus itself, and which symptoms are caused by the body fighting the virus? [closed]
Most symptoms commonly associated with respiratory viral infections, like the common cold, are actually immune in nature. Fever is the body's attempt to overheat the virus, excess mucous is the body's ...
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12
votes
2
answers
644
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What happens to HIV once it completely destroys the immune system?
Today, in my high school health class we were learning about HIV and AIDS, and I was wondering what would happen to HIV if it killed off all of the cells that it uses to reproduce.
For example, ...
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