Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2011 2:48:30 GMT -5
I just stumbled over an article about Lyme desease at
www.enn.com/top_stories/article/42828
From: David A Gabel, ENN
Published June 20, 2011 09:30 AM
...
The new study that just came out from University of California (UC), Davis has found that the Borrelia bacteria which causes Lyme disease will hide out in the lymph nodes. This triggers a significant immune response, which is unfortunately, not enough to destroy the infection.
"Our findings suggest for the first time that Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in people, dogs and wildlife, have developed a novel strategy for subverting the immune response of the animals they infect," said Professor Nicole Baumgarth, an authority on immune responses at the UC Davis Center for Comparative Medicine.
"At first it seems counter intuitive that an infectious organism would choose to migrate to the lymph nodes where it would automatically trigger an immune response in the host animal," Baumgarth said. "But B. burgdorferi have apparently struck an intricate balance that allows the bacteria to both provoke and elude the animal's immune response."
Swollen lymph nodes, or lymphadenopathy, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease, although it has been unclear why this occurs. The UC Davis researchers set out to explore in mice the mechanisms that cause the enlarged lymph nodes and to determine the nature of the resulting immune response.
They found that when mice were infected with the bacteria, live spirochetes accumulated in the animals' lymph nodes. The lymph nodes responded with a strong, rapid accumulation of B cells, white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infections. Also, the presence of the bacteria caused the destruction of the distinct architecture of the lymph node that usually helps it to function normally. The result is a less than functional immune response.
For more information: www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1002066
I wonder, if chemicals are able to cause a similar reaction and damage to the immune system.
www.enn.com/top_stories/article/42828
From: David A Gabel, ENN
Published June 20, 2011 09:30 AM
...
The new study that just came out from University of California (UC), Davis has found that the Borrelia bacteria which causes Lyme disease will hide out in the lymph nodes. This triggers a significant immune response, which is unfortunately, not enough to destroy the infection.
"Our findings suggest for the first time that Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in people, dogs and wildlife, have developed a novel strategy for subverting the immune response of the animals they infect," said Professor Nicole Baumgarth, an authority on immune responses at the UC Davis Center for Comparative Medicine.
"At first it seems counter intuitive that an infectious organism would choose to migrate to the lymph nodes where it would automatically trigger an immune response in the host animal," Baumgarth said. "But B. burgdorferi have apparently struck an intricate balance that allows the bacteria to both provoke and elude the animal's immune response."
Swollen lymph nodes, or lymphadenopathy, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease, although it has been unclear why this occurs. The UC Davis researchers set out to explore in mice the mechanisms that cause the enlarged lymph nodes and to determine the nature of the resulting immune response.
They found that when mice were infected with the bacteria, live spirochetes accumulated in the animals' lymph nodes. The lymph nodes responded with a strong, rapid accumulation of B cells, white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight infections. Also, the presence of the bacteria caused the destruction of the distinct architecture of the lymph node that usually helps it to function normally. The result is a less than functional immune response.
For more information: www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1002066
I wonder, if chemicals are able to cause a similar reaction and damage to the immune system.