I was just thinking about a crazy theory. This may a simple and ignorant question, (may have already been asked, too) but is there any such thing as inherited partial immunity to virsues?
Say my Great-Grandmother was struck with the 1918 Flu (which she may have been, but survived). When she gave birth to my mother, a certain amount of antibodies would have passed on to her. And again, if she was breastfed. Do these prenatal and postnatal antibodies that an infant receives survive through the life of the individual, even if they are just a small amount?
Would they, yet again, be passed down to the Granchild, etc.?
I realize this is very far-fetched, but I thought I would just ask the question, as the 1918 Flu is supposed to be the sister to H5N1, inferring that they are extremely similar in genetic makeup, I am guessing. I also understand that the article below is specifically addressing bacterial antigens, but wondered if antibodies to viruses could be included in this.
Obviously I am wondering if any of us have even a tiny bit of genetic immunity.
For reference:
Immune system From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Immunity (medical))
Because they have had no prior exposure to microbes, newborn infants are particularly vulnerable to infection. However, the mother provides her baby several layers of protection against infection. In utero, maternal IgG is transported directly across the placenta, so that at birth, human babies have high levels of antibodies with the same range of antigen specificities as their mother. Further, breast milk contains antibodies that are transferred to the gut of the infant and protect it against bacterial infections until the newborn can synthesize its own protective antibodies.
Niah: This is WAY outside my real knowledge area, but I do know that even the same person can lose immunity to Yellow Fever, Small Pox and Polio vaccines over many years, and they are viral. It is costly for the body to maintain antibodies and if there is no use, I would assume that fewer are kept around. (There are many layers to the immune system and general immune functions remain as a defense - I am speaking of specific proteins “remembered”.) So, it is not likely that a lot of immunity would be conferred over two generations, though some immunity is conferred from mother to child. A different point is that genetic variation might allow some to survive and reproduce, so those still living might resist certain diseases more readily. That might be a stronger reason. But those who know better should weigh in.
INFOMASS – at 22:35
Thank you for your reply…I appreciate it. I know absolutely nothing about the science regarding this. :-) Niah
as I understand it we are all more or less imune against the spanish flu, not the orignal, but the related viruses that is the comom flu.. That if you have had the flu, or one of the vacines. This goes for all the “childrens” deseases as well. They ocurred in human history during the periods of new types of animal household and imigration/wars.. Thats why children nowdays who get the viruses only get sick, and dont die,, many many years ago, the same viruses killed the entire populations..
I am no expert, only heard this on a very interesting lecture abous zoonoses, the deases we have gotten due to our contact with animals during historic times.. Birdflu is one of this, a natural consekvens of animal household..
just a note.. I discovered that the articles about H5N1 and pandemics on wikipedia are getting bigger and better, it seem that fluwiki is able to manifest strategies and knowledge for the entire world, and I want to thank all who have participated in this articles :) Its very nice to link to wikipedia when you want to inform someone, and with no harm intended to the fluwiki. Wikipedia is much more consis and easy to get owerwiew than this enourmesly site and project called Fluwiki. Historians will love to get their hands on this archive, make sure they will :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_pandemic#Strategies_to_prevent_a_pandemic
Niah – at 21:42 My husband’s grandmother died in December 1918, a victim of the Spanish Flu. His mother who was age 2 when her mother died did not seem to either have any special immunity to influenza nor did she seem especially susceptible to influenza. My husband on the other had is very susceptible to influenza. Even a mild strain can make him very sick. A more virulent strain that once had me and our then infant son down sick for just over a week nearly killed my husband. I was nearly made a widow at age 21 and our son an only child by something most people think of as nothing, just “the flu”. Now he gets a flu shot every year.
So if you ask me my awnser to your question would be no. You would have no more immunity than anyone else. Not an expert opinion I know, just our experiences.
I should have said at the top…my “Grandmother”, not my Great-Grandmother. I accidentally went back a little too far.
urdar-Norge – at 08:18
Very interesting…thank you for your post.
Poppy – at 10:32 I see what you’re saying. I guess I was hoping our genetic makeup might have some lingering memory of the killer 1918 Flu, so we might possibly be able to overcome H5N1 a little better since they are such similar strains.
I’m glad you and your family got over your bouts with the flu…it sounds horrible. Thank you for your opinion…I’m learning. Niah :-)
I wonder if TomDVM, Anon-22, or Monotreme could tell me in a tick-tock if this is way off base? Many thanks….
Niah, the sort of immunity you’re talking about is referred to as “aquired immunity”. As the name suggests, this is not inherited. The immune system which produces it, however, is mostly a product of genetics, though it may be influenced by many other factors during development. A broader issue is “genetic susceptibility”, which includes, but is not limited to, immune response. The same degree of exposure to a virus will lead to infection in some individuals, but not in others, and this is true even with a virus to which none of the subjects have been exposed previously, and therefore cannot be entirely a reflection of varying degrees of aquired immunity. We don’t know why, but it surely has to do with factors — receptors, cellular mechanisms, distribution of various types of cells, etc — that are strongly influenced by genetics (though, again, not necessarily determined by genetics).
I think the CCR5 gene or delta 32 gene is the inherited trait to ease viral disease susceptibility. There was a TV program about it last week. An English town Eylam filled with descendents of the black plague. A high percentage of them carried it. Ergo delta 32 prevents plague, and HIV disease and more than likely if you have it a pandemic virus as well. No one here wants to discuss it much cuz it costs quite a bit to be tested for this trait. If you inherit delta 32 from both parents you’re a viral survior in all probabibility. If you inherit from one parent you will get sick, but will eventually fight off a disease like HIV unless you are exposed to a “hot version”, this might account for people suddenly going HIV negative. The partial inheritance of delta 32 might also account for the ones who got H1N1 and survivied. To learn more about it just google delta 32 gene, but understand the articles are primarily written for people who understand genetics. The partial inheritance trait doesn’t get as much attentions as the full inheritance but it’s still a player in who recovers from viral illness.
Niah, what you are asking is whether your gandmother’s acquired immunity to the 1918 virus will be passed on to you. The answer is unfortunately no.
What Leo7 is talking about is an inherited ability to be relatively less susceptible to viral infections. Which if present in your family, would not be dependent on whether your grandmother was exposed to the 1918 virus or not.
Niah, the maternal antibody effect that you quoted is for newborns only, generally lasting not more than a few weeks.
but you can inherit some properties which make you less likely to catch H5N1. Number of alpha 2–3 cells in the upper respiratory track or such. Many possible things which H5N1 likes or dislikes and which can be inherited. So, when some of your great-grandparents died in 1918, that could be not so good.
I do understand everything you all have posted..thank you very much for the information…I wasn’t sure how long those maternal antibodies were effective either, but now I do. A few weeks sure isn’t much.
Thanks again, everyone, I appreciate the enlightenment. :-) Niah
I just posted this on the news thread, from MSN: Man lived to 112 on sausage-and-waffles diet ‘We often find it is in the genes rather than lifestyle,’ says expert. Story recounts the life of a 112 California man who recetnly died. With the exception of his lungs (he died on pneumonia) his other organs were totally clean, no cancer, nothing, despite a lifetime of bad eating.
So while you don’t really inherit protection from ancestors against certain diseases, you can inherit some of the ability to fight them. I am a strong believer that genetis play some role. Some families are sadly plagued by higher than average cancer cases, etc. My neighbor’s kids are sick all the time - they ride the same bus and go to the same school as my kids, but my kids aren’t sick nearly as often. Strengthening your immune system may be beneficial as well. You can do that by eating well, exercising and getting plenty of rest.
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