Measles vaccination is already often referred to as a 'best-buy' in public health - new results indicate that the public health benefits may be even more important than was thought. Another wonderful bit of work led by @michaelmina_lab out today in @sciencemagazine
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine This builds on a powerful integration across several fields. From Rick de Swart's group, in 2012, a macaque model of measles suggested immune memory depletion by the virus might leave infected individiuals vulnerable to other infections in a previously unconsidered way
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine This paper dx.plos.org/10.1371/journa… inspired Mina to lead work re-analysing historical population data on mortality and measles incidence spanning three countries and decades of data both pre- and post-vaccination.
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine Consistent patterns of 'immune amnesia' across all these settings suggested that this phenomenon might also be of public health importance science.sciencemag.org/content/348/62…
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine Yet, mechanistic evidence of these effects in human populations was still lacking. The foresight of Rik de Swart and colleagues in collecting samples from a population very likely to experience a future measles outbreak (the dutch 'bible belt', where measles vaccination is rare)
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine ...provided the necessary 'before' and 'after' samples so rarely available for studies of infection.
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine With these samples, Mina and colleagues used a novel technology (Virscan, science.sciencemag.org/content/348/62…) to profile the immune 'antibody repertoire'.
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine Antibodies are a key set of immune receptors that recognize pathogens that organisms have previously been exposed to, enabling immunity to rapidly control them.
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine Changes in the antibody repertoire before and after measles thus provide a direct readout of how much immune memory has been depleted. And clear declines across antibodies specific to a wide array of pathogens following measles infection provide strong support for immune amnesia.
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine Increases in antibodies that map onto clusters of children likely to have experienced shared infections (being in the same school) provide further support for Virscan's power in capturing biologically relevant changes in the antibody repertoire.
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine This study, and its companion on B cells immunology.sciencemag.org/content/4/41/e… importantly advance our understanding of the individual scale mechanisms of immunity, with clear population level and public health consequences.
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine In parallel, a Science Immunology paper immunology.sciencemag.org/content/4/41/e… used the same data to show changes in the cell population responsible for generating antibodies (Bcells) following measles infection, provide further evidence for the footprint of this virus on immune functioning
@michaelmina_lab @sciencemagazine Both studies represent an important advance in our understanding of the individual scale mechanisms of immunity, with clear population level and public health consequences.
