6/ Francis and others observed that sequential exposure to new viral variants induces preferential antibody response to the FIRST virus strain encountered.
As some have put it, someone's "First Flu is Forever".
7/ Our immune system will respond to subsequent - heterotypic - infections by creating the best response to someone's "original" serotype (even though this isn't the current one).
A lesser response is seen against the newer variant.
8/ In influenza, repeated heterotypic infection leads to a POOR response to new strains. In dengue, heterotypic infection leads to a WORSE response (i.e. DHS).
These different responses can be explained by something called antibody-dependent enhancement.
9/ Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) proposes that at some concentrations, heterotypic antibodies bind but do not neutralize virions of the secondary infecting viral type.
ADE requires enough antibody to bind but not so much as to promote killing.
10/ That a narrow range of anti-dengue antibody titers is a risk factor for DHS was shown in a study of 6684 children with antibodies titers against Dengue.
14/14 SUMMARY
➢ The greatest risk factor for dengue hemorrhagic fever is secondary infection with a different serotype
➢ Original antigenic sin and antibody dependence enhancement may explain this finding
➢ Both phenomena are seen in other pathogens with antigenic variability
• • •
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1/5 Why is meperidine (Demerol) particularly good at treating rigors?
This is another association I learned early in training without hearing a potential mechanism.
For the second installment in my fevers, chills, and rigors tweetorial follow-up, let's have a brief look.
2/ The ability of meperidine to treat fevers and rigors associated with amphotericin B was demonstrated in 1980 in a SMALL randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Percent with cessation of side effects with 30 minutes:
☞ Meperidine: 100%
☞ Placebo: 30%
1/6 Does hemochromatosis (HH) protect against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection?
If so, how could that be?
◾️MTB needs iron and HH is associated with overload
◾️MTB resides within macrophages, a site of iron storage
It seems that MTB should thrive in HH. Does it?
2/ It turns out that the distribution of iron overload in HH is not uniform. It preferentially accumulates within parenchymal (e.g., heart, liver, pancreas) cells.