Virus throws a wrench in the immune system
Friday, August 17, 2012 - 02:00
in Health & Medicine
T cells are immune cells important for the defense against viruses. The ongoing exposure to cytomegalovirus impairs their function. The cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the herpesvirus family. Although most people carry CMV for life, it hardly ever makes them sick. Researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and from the USA have now unveiled long term consequences of the on-going presence of CMV: Later in life, more and more cells of the immune system concentrate on CMV, and as a result, the response against other viruses is weakened. These research results help to explain why the elderly are often more prone to infectious diseases than young people.