A new discovery by researchers at Imperial College London could lead to treatments that turn off inflammation in the lungs caused by influenza and other infections.
The symptoms of influenza, such as breathlessness, weight loss and fever, become worse if the immune system responds in an exaggerated way to the virus, rather than by the virus itself.
Bird Flu
Bird flu (avian influenza/avian flu) is a disease caused by an influenza virus (H5N1) that primarily affects birds but can infect humans also.
Advertisement
The virus is often cleared from the body by the time symptoms appear and yet symptoms can last for many days, because the immune system continues to fight the damaged lung.
The immune system is necessary for clearing the virus, but it can cause a lot of damage to the body when it overreacts and if it is not quickly contained.
![Have a Peck on the Cheek to Avoid Infections]( "Have a Peck on the Cheek to Avoid Infections")
A new study has revealed that a peck on the cheek is healthier than the conventional handshake.
Such overreaction takes place in a number of diseases as well as influenza, such as asthma and inflammatory conditions in the gut.
During influenza infection, the immune system's prolonged response causes the lungs to become inflamed and this can clog the airways and cause difficulty breathing.
In the new study, researchers show how the activity of immune cells in the lung is normally kept under control by a receptor known as CD200R, working with another molecule called CD200.
CD200R is found in high levels in the lungs and the new study shows that it is able to limit the immune system's response and to turn off inflammation once it has started.
Influenza overrides the CD200 molecule and without CD200 to bind to, CD200R cannot work to prevent the immune system from overreacting, so the lungs become inflamed.
For the study, the researchers gave mice infected with influenza a mimic of CD200, or an antibody to stimulate CD200R, to see if these would enable CD200R to bring the immune system under control and reduce inflammation.
They found that the mice that received treatment had less weight loss than control mice and less inflammation in their airways and lung tissue.
The influenza virus was still cleared from the lungs within seven days and so this strategy did not appear to affect the immune system's ability to fight the virus itself.
In wake of these results, the researchers hope that a therapy could be developed for people, which can quickly work with the CD200R receptor and stop the immune system from fighting when it is no longer needed.
According to them, this would quickly reduce symptoms and reduce the damage that the immune system causes in the lungs and elsewhere.
"The immune system is very sophisticated and much of the time it does a fantastic job of fighting infection, but it has the ability to cause a lot of damage when it overreacts," Nature quoted Professor Tracy Hussell, the lead author of the research from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, as saying.
"Our new research is still in its early stages, but these findings suggest that it could be possible to prevent the immune system going into overdrive, and limit the unnecessary damage this can cause," she added.
The study is published in the journal Nature Immunology.
Source: ANI
RAS/L
Have a Peck on the Cheek to Avoid Infections
A new study has revealed that a peck on the cheek is healthier than the conventional handshake.
Advertisement
Such overreaction takes place in a number of diseases as well as influenza, such as asthma and inflammatory conditions in the gut.
During influenza infection, the immune system's prolonged response causes the lungs to become inflamed and this can clog the airways and cause difficulty breathing.
In the new study, researchers show how the activity of immune cells in the lung is normally kept under control by a receptor known as CD200R, working with another molecule called CD200.
CD200R is found in high levels in the lungs and the new study shows that it is able to limit the immune system's response and to turn off inflammation once it has started.
Influenza overrides the CD200 molecule and without CD200 to bind to, CD200R cannot work to prevent the immune system from overreacting, so the lungs become inflamed.
For the study, the researchers gave mice infected with influenza a mimic of CD200, or an antibody to stimulate CD200R, to see if these would enable CD200R to bring the immune system under control and reduce inflammation.
They found that the mice that received treatment had less weight loss than control mice and less inflammation in their airways and lung tissue.
The influenza virus was still cleared from the lungs within seven days and so this strategy did not appear to affect the immune system's ability to fight the virus itself.
In wake of these results, the researchers hope that a therapy could be developed for people, which can quickly work with the CD200R receptor and stop the immune system from fighting when it is no longer needed.
According to them, this would quickly reduce symptoms and reduce the damage that the immune system causes in the lungs and elsewhere.
"The immune system is very sophisticated and much of the time it does a fantastic job of fighting infection, but it has the ability to cause a lot of damage when it overreacts," Nature quoted Professor Tracy Hussell, the lead author of the research from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, as saying.
"Our new research is still in its early stages, but these findings suggest that it could be possible to prevent the immune system going into overdrive, and limit the unnecessary damage this can cause," she added.
The study is published in the journal Nature Immunology.
Source: ANI
RAS/L
Officials Confirm S Korea Cat Had Bird Flu
A cat found dead in a South Korean city was infected with a virulent strain of bird flu, the first mammal in the country known to have had the H5N1 virus, health officials said on Tuesday.
Advertisement
Readiness on Bird Flu Pandemic to Be Tested by ASEAN NationsBird flu chiefs from across Southeast Asia have agreed to assess the ability of their governments to respond to a deadly human pandemic of the virus, an Indonesian official said Wednesday. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Respiratory Disease News
Tuberculosis (TB) is preventable, yet over 10.6 million people were infected with it in 2021. TB is curable, but over 1.6 million people lost their lives to it that same year.
C-PAP-Continuous positive airway pressure used to treat loud snoring, can also diminish heartburn and respiratory complaints.
Imaging has the potential to assist in identifying the appropriate antibiotics for treating different lung infections, including pneumonia and cystic fibrosis
New study compared the effect of different types of exercise in improving lung function in adult patients with asthma using Network Meta-analysis.
Adenovirus infection is tied to severe blood clotting disorders like thrombocytopenia, a new study reveals.
