“The measles virus resets our immune clock to zero and all the protection that we have obtained over the course of viral and bacterial infections is almost reduced to that of a newborn baby” has just explained Professor Stephen Elledge, professor of genetics at Harvard School of Medicine (United States). In addition, the virus also hinders the body’s ability to create new antibodies against diseases that it will encounter later.
Our immune system becomes amnesic
For this study, the researchers analyzed the blood of 77 unvaccinated Dutch children who had been infected with measles in 2013. They found that the virus removed between 11% and 73% of their antibodies. These antibodies are cells that memorize encounters with viruses and bacteria and help the body avoid repeated infections.
“We knew that immune cells did not come out unscathed from their encounter with the measles virus, but we did not know how affected they could be,” said Prof. Elledge. Analysis of the children’s blood also showed that their immune systems had been brought down to an immature state, hampering the body’s ability to respond to new infections.
This study has just been published in the journal Science .
Read also :
- Measles outbreaks worldwide
- Measles: a fine for German adults who do not vaccinate their child
- The vaccine remains the only protection against the measles epidemic
