Our immune system. Are we dropping it?

[Labyrinth]

It actually is a problem, especially with the evolution of new disease strains which can avoid T-cells and white blood cells to attack the body. Part of this is due to the paranoid nature of some homes when it comes to hygiene. The kids just don't develop immune defences, so when they grow up, that huge gap remains.

Just as coddling children away from anything bad in the world can leave them defenceless later in life, keeping the house entirely free of disease does the same. Playing in mud every so often doesn't kill us, it makes us stronger.

 

[I III II X4]

People must also remember that excessive use of antibiotics strengthen bacteria, which has created MRSA.

Like everyone in this thread has stated, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

 

[GRoXERs]

If you're that afraid of losing your immune system, don't let it happen.

It's your immune system and ultimately, only you can control how much practise it gets.

Don't live in a 100% sterile environment, don't unnecessarily take antibiotics and occasionally lick the pavement.

Even if there's a thing of gum on the pavement?

ESPECIALLY if there's a wad of gum on the pavement! Then you not only expose yourself to who-knows-what, thereby strengthening your immune system, but you get to experience a burst of flavor!

In all seriousness, though, no, I don't think we are losing our immune systems. I mean, at any given time I know at least 5 people who have one kind of illness or another. Things like Toxoplasma gondii, chickenpox, the common cold, E. coli, Salmonella, and all those other things that the average person is exposed to at least once in their lives would (and do) tend to weed out - gosh that sounds heartless - people with weakened or no immune systems.

As an interesting aside, Toxoplasma gondii is freaky as hell, mainly because of the behavioral changes it may cause (and the fact that anyone who owns a cat almost certainly has it.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis

 

[itsnotyouitsme]

Ummm.... Dude, if we lose our immune system we are fuked. Here's how this goes:
No matter how clean you are bacteria and viruses are always around you and even in you. Vaccines are just weakened or dead bacteria and viruses used in order to strengthen our immune system. If we lose our immune system we are screwed to an utmost extreme. The bacteria normally on our skin would eat our skin. The bacteria in our bodies would turn our organs into mush, and the bacteria in the air would kill us faster then we could count.

No matter how you look at it, evolving would not kill off our immune stsyem, only strength it.

 

[manicfoot]

Doubt it would happen. There'll always be a dirty unhygenic bastards like myself around. I'm hardly ever ill and if I am I get over it pretty quickly. Dirt is good.

 

[Jovlo]

Evolution is hard to reverse and it hardly ever happens:
For example, fish evolved into land animals with lungs instead of gills, land animals evolved into whales, whales still have lungs and no gills.
There are a lot more examples but I can't think of any right now.

I see the evolution of the immune system coming to a standstill instead of a reversal.
New diseases will be a threat because of this.

 

[Jovlo]

Doubt it would happen. There'll always be a dirty unhygenic bastards like myself around. I'm hardly ever ill and if I am I get over it pretty quickly. Dirt is good.

It is.
Lots of people are developing allergies today because their immune system isn't used to dirt and dust.
It's a good idea to let your kids get dirty and play with pets when they are young.
To much hygiene isn't good for anything.

 

[nekolux]

No cure is available for viruses right now. Your immune system is the only thing standing between you and basically dying of a cold ( rhinovirus for you medical nerds ).
That's why people with AIDS have to stay in a clean room if they want to extend their life expectancy.

 

[Tattaglia]

I see the evolution of the immune system coming to a standstill instead of a reversal.
New diseases will be a threat because of this.

I agree.

Lots of people are developing allergies today because their immune system isn't used to dirt and dust.
It's a good idea to let your kids get dirty and play with pets when they are young.
To much hygiene isn't good for anything.

I agree again! Stop it! My quoting finger is sore, you cruel person.

 

[Specter_]

What do you think? Should science look at ways to preserve our immune system? Or is it not "un-evolving" at all?

You have to look after your immune-system yourself:
Don't overuse antibiotics. Get out of your house. Exercise. Eat healthy. And simplest of all: get dirty!

It's simple and keeps you healthy.

 

[Jovlo]

No cure is available for viruses right now. Your immune system is the only thing standing between you and basically dying of a cold ( rhinovirus for you medical nerds ).
That's why people with AIDS have to stay in a clean room if they want to extend their life expectancy.

It is very hard to find a cure for viruses.
Some viruses like the influenza virus have genetic material divided in several pieces.
When two different influenza viruses infect the same cell, their genetic material can get mixed up easily and then you get a whole new virus.
This is called antigenic shift and this is why we can't find a proper cure for the flu, it addaps itself to quickly.
It's also why we should be afraid of the bird flu.
If our flu virus infects a bird with bird flu, you might get a new virus that acts like bird flu but can infect humans.

 

[Specter_]

No cure is available for viruses right now. Your immune system is the only thing standing between you and basically dying of a cold ( rhinovirus for you medical nerds ).
That's why people with AIDS have to stay in a clean room if they want to extend their life expectancy.

It is very hard to find a cure for viruses.
Some viruses like the influenza virus have genetic material divided in several pieces.
When two different influenza viruses infect the same cell, their genetic material can get mixed up easily and then you get a whole new virus.
This is called antigenic shift and this is why we can't find a proper cure for the flu, it addaps itself to quickly.
It's also why we should be afraid of the bird flu.
If our flu virus infects a bird with bird flu, you might get a new virus that acts like bird flu but can infect humans.

No, we shouldn't be.
If our flu virus infects a bird with bird flu, you might get a new virus that acts like bird flu but can infect humans.
Too many if's and might's in even that small sentence to actually be afraid.

 

[Jovlo]

No, we shouldn't be.
If our flu virus infects a bird with bird flu, you might get a new virus that acts like bird flu but can infect humans.
Too many if's and might's in even that small sentence to actually be afraid.

Risk = chance of it happening x severity of it happening.
There have been several flu epidemics killing millions of people, it even happened in Western Europe.
The Spanish flu killed almost 100 million people worldwide.
And it also works the other way around:
If a human infected with the flu gets infected with bird flu, you get the same effect.
Now there have been a handful of people who've been infected with bird flu in India and china.
They were mostly farmers who get a lot of contact with there chickens.
The chance is rather small but the risk is quite big.

I apologise for any sore fingers and for hogging this thread. Back on topic people!

 

[Specter_]

No, we shouldn't be.
If our flu virus infects a bird with bird flu, you might get a new virus that acts like bird flu but can infect humans.
Too many if's and might's in even that small sentence to actually be afraid.

Risk = chance of it happening x severity of it happening.
There have been several flu epidemics killing millions of people, it even happened in Western Europe.
The Spanish flu killed almost 100 million people worldwide.
And it also works the other way around:
If a human infected with the flu gets infected with bird flu, you get the same effect.
Now there have been a handful of people who've been infected with bird flu in India and china.
They were mostly farmers who get a lot of contact with there chickens.
The chance is rather small but the risk is quite big.

I apologise for any sore fingers and for hogging this thread. Back on topic people!

The chance is tiny. And to quote my favorite book on topic of risk (by Dan Gardner):
If the chance is tiny and the severity big, why don't we invest more money to detect asteroids that could cripple our atmosphere?
Again the chance of such a big rock hitting us is tiny, but when it does it wipes out mankind. It's called "low probability/high impact" and theres a lot more of this stuff to really be afraid of than bird flu. (btw, the 2006-tsunami was such a low probability/high impact-event and yet nobody invested anything to create a warning-system)

 

[Lukeje]

I didn't mean those burgers but the ones from the nose.

Do you perchance mean 'boogers'? 'Cos burgers don't come from normal people's noses...

 

[Jovlo]

Well we can't really do anything about asteroids hitting us and we can only warn people of tsunamis.
Just like an asteroid hitting Earth, the evolution of a new pandemic is just a matter of time. We can only slow it with quarantine rules but it will happen. And disastrous flu epidemics are a lot more common than tsunamis and asteroids.

 

[Meatstorm]

Sick ATM, but overall i'd say my immune system is doing OK. this is thhe first time in few years im feeling ill

 

[schubi]

In reality the bird flu is not really fatal. In all cases that ended badly the patient was weak before the infection and was killed by a strong reaction of his/hers immune system to an unknown threat (a virus not compatible to the host cells). Even a virus generally acts as a parasite - it's not beneficial for it to kill its host but to propagate further (to other hosts/cells).
The number of human beings is growing and humans need space to exist. By spreading more and more we encounter situations which should limit our expansion (climate, predators, disease ...) but can be beaten by technology (clothing, housing, medicine, adapted food sources ...).
Our immune system always adapts, but it needs time to do so.

 

[FadedMemory]

I read an article in some magazine about how evolution is practically reversing. Now, because hunters control which particular animal lives and dies, the weaker, scrawnier animals are surviving while the big, tough game gets killed for their bigger antlers or astounding strength.

Kill the rabbits!