Cells in your body have specific protein complexes on their surface which provide other cells with information, receive information or do other useful stuff.
One of these receptors is called “MHC” (major histocompatibility complex). Using MHC, the cell constantly presents a sample of the proteins that are currently being synthesized on the inside. The lymphocytes check those proteins (compare them to known antigens) and usually classify the body’s own proteins as harmless. @suesa
When a virus infects a cell, it causes the cell to produce the proteins the virus needs for its replication cycle, sometimes even completely stopping the cells own protein synthesis. The MHC complex thus presents virus protein to the lymphocytes, which recognize the protein as dangerous and swiftly kill the cell.
This way, the virus is prevented from multiplying as it requires a host cell for this process.
There are some exceptions to this mechanism. Red blood cells (erythrocytes) don’t have a MHC complex. A disease like malaria (a parasitic infection, not viral, there are still foreign proteins being produced) can thus stay undetected by the lymphocytes as long as the parasite stays inside the cell.
Some viruses, like the herpes virus, can “hide” by not forcing the cell to produce virus proteins. The herpes virus embeds itself into cells of the nervous system and only induces protein synthesis when the time is right. This way, a herpes infection can go unnoticed for a very long time before it suddenly breaks out (because of an organ transplant and the resulting immunosuppression for example).
HIV is even “smarter” because it attacks the lymphocytes themselves. The cells don’t realize they’ve been infected and the virus happily proliferates, killing the lymphocytes and ruining the adaptive immune system.
The result of this is AIDS, which allows other pathogens that have been previously controlled by the immune system to spread through and kill the body.
But more about that one another time.
Sources:
Lecture “Herpesviruses” by Prof. Friedrich Grässer
Lecture “Components of the innate and adaptive immune system” by Barbara Walch-Rückheim
First picture taken from pixabay.com, scribbles by me
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Una información de discovery channel me dejo traumada porque nos informaba que quizás en un futuro la destrucción del mundo sería por virus. Cada día la contaminación va en aumento, la falta de conciencia de las personas que no piensan en un futuro, no tanto para ellos sino para sus generaciones, que le vamos a dejar? . No pongo en duda que aquel documental se haga realidad muy pronto lo puedo confirma con las muchas enfermedades nuevas que día a día aparecen.
I have no idea what you just said, sorry. I only speak English and German.
A discovery channel information left me traumatic because it informed us that perhaps in the future the destruction of the world would be by virus. Every day the pollution is increasing, the lack of awareness of people who do not think about a future, not so much for them but for their generations, that we are going to leave? . I do not doubt that this documentary becomes reality very soon I can confirm with the many new diseases that day by day appear.
Can you name/link it? I would like to see. Thanks!
I would have to look, it is not a current documentary.
Viral diseases have been around since forever and we've survived so far. I think something else will kill us before a virus does
Everything is possible in this world, perhaps we will not see it, but future generations.
you are right.
hi friend of @suesa
Totally awesome. It is easy to learn these processes because of how you explain them.
Nothing I don't know yet from these posts. Still I love your cute little drawings. I wish they were real (and not in microscopic size) so that I could pet them 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
I'm starting with the basics, hoping that I can at one point explain the more complicated stuff. Not everyone has the same background of knowledge :D
Yeah you are right. Now that I see my comment again I get it may have sounded a bit negative.. sorry 😅😅😅
All is fine :)
Love that you are promoting science in this way. My partner is a microbiologist and infection control doctor and you have inspired her to sign up and join the community.
Ohhhhh that's cool! Tell her to visit the steemSTEM channel on steemit.chat to join the steemit science community!
I most certainly will. I work closely with the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in the UK, so I will look forward to seeing your posts
So no pressure... :P
You don't, by any chance, know people from the Maynooth University in Ireland?
lol No, I don't, but if they work in Sports Medicine, I probably follow them on social media
😂 I plan to apply for a masters program there so I wanted to check if I can network.
Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy my content, not everything is as scientific as this post you commented on.
This just shows how important the first step of immunization is. Otherwise, lymphocytes would have no way to know if a first time virus was present or not. The immune response would be much slower and the virus could multiply without any initial barrier. Depending on the type of virus, the symptoms could be devastating, but many times avoidable. If taken care of.
An interesting strategy using this natural mechanism, without previous vaccination, is used for viruses with a very slow multiplication rate. Therefore, with large incubation periods.
See the case of the rabies virus. It is usual to vaccinate someone right after getting bitten by a possibly infected animal. The vaccine will trigger a fast response from our immune system (a lot of antigens circulating). The adaptive immune system produces the newly rabies virus targeted lymphocytes at a much faster rate than the virus can multiply. Now, the new lymphocytes are able to detect the cells infected with rabies viruses before symptoms could appear.
Thanks for sharing!
Love those drawings!!! I'm reading that when lessons are over for today! :D
thank you for posting it, very helpful to increase knowledge.
nice comment.
It's nothing new. People new it from ancient times. For example, people did not know about cancer like they do today, but when they saw some similiar signs, they used lemon+sodiumbicarbonate to cure it. It's only recently published that this mixture detects only infected cell and destroys them.
I am not a scientist therefore i sometimes don't get the real reason under some things. But often i look to ancient times and get what i need :)
Yeah. It's a known fact ancient people didn't die from cancer, ebola, or even the common flu because lemons..
Well i don't believe that, lemons don't grow all over the world!!
Quoting a paragraph on your post.
"Some viruses, like the herpes virus, can “hide” by not forcing the cell to produce virus proteins. The herpes virus embeds itself into cells of the nervous system and only induces protein synthesis when the time is right. This way, a herpes infection can go unnoticed for a very long time before it suddenly breaks out (because of an organ transplant and the resulting immunosuppression for example)."
I have a 53 year old diabetic patient who is a right trans-tibial amputee, he recently started developing some blister looking bumps all over his skin and the stump thus affecting the prosthetic socket fit and stump comfort, he told me his doctor diagnosed him of herpes simplex virus which is most commonly seen as an STI and the patient has confirmed not to have had unprotected sex for about 25 years now and is wife is not diagnosed with herpes as well.....my question is how long could it take the virus to Manifest and apart from sexual infections what other ways could one get infected with Herpes
Ah, I'm not a medical doctor so I don't know all the ways. But a herpes virus stays, after the infection, for the rest of a human's life. Manifestation can happen after decades or never.
A herpes virus is usually transmitted via contact of mucous membranes so sex, birth, oral sex and even kissing can transmit it. Genital herpes appears in the oral region and oral herpes in the genital region quite frequently.
Your patient might have cought it in his early youth or even as a child. Even an innocent kiss on the lips from parent to child can transmit herpes without anyone noticing and the initial infection can happen without symptoms.
very nice post. great information and mostly i like this gif image.
The information that u had provided us its very usefull to find out the problem ....mostly we communicate our virus each to another we also need to know some precision to live in healthy society ☺
I'm afraid of viruses. I hate to be sick and to stay home :(((
Great article 🤗thanks for sharing
@suesa Thank you for the information, I am very glad for the notice you post, can make a lesson for everyone.
Well you learn something new everyday...how bout that.
Great post, I'm sure we can all learn quite a bit by reading this. Thank you for opening my eyes!
@suesa Woah blown away by your way of explaining! :)
I didn't realize you wrote such indepth stuff. Will definitely keep an eye on your blog!
You've inspired me to write even more indepth about 'medical' topics that interest me!
:)
I rarely write the in-depth stuff because I prefer stories :D
Happy to inspire, maybe you can drop by in the steemSTEM channel on steemit.chat if you haven't already!
Yesss! Will get on it NOW :)
@suesa whether i can translate into my indonesian language for every article you make ?
No.
Ok,, Thanks @suesa , maybe you want to contact me ;)
As I can't find you on steemit.chat, there is no good way to contact you.
I have had very bad experiences with the Indonesian community on steemit (lots of plagiarism and stolen posts) so I really don't want my posts translated into that language.
I'm generally not against translations (after getting my consent) but in this case, I don't want my stories to be even more vulnerable to theft than they already are.
I hope you understand.
well I understand, I have no intention to steal someone's writing or duplicate it for my own, because to be honest I'm only interested in the stories you made not for other purposes. again I just want to explain that we citizens of Indonesia are not as you think, it's just some people who are not responsible. tank you very much @suesa have been willing to talk to me
I wasn't specifically talking about you, more about most of the Indonesians I encountered here.
So it's nothing personal against you, I just want to keep my content out of the community. Maybe one day, the plagiarizers and thieves will be gone, then I'll consider giving you my permission. But that is still in the future.
I understand that, well thank you in advance @suesa :) Salam kenal ;)
This is an awesome read! Brings back memories of bio class, thanks for sharing.
it's super easy to understand @suesa.
I developed zoster after immunosuppressive treatment...
I love your little pictures. :-)
Are viruses necessary to actually find cures?
If it's a viral infection, you need the virus to find a cure, yes. After you know what the virus looks like you can synthesize something that looks like the virus but doesn't act like it and with that stuff, immunize the body. That's basically a vaccination.
Wow, this is good information. But do you know how the Hiv virus is able to differentiate a lymphocytes cell from other cell and hence attacking the cell that was meant to protect other cells?
It's always about receptors! As I mentioned, cells have certain proteins on their surface to allow other cells to recognize them. That's what the HI-virus uses.
Great work @suesa
Short and concise. Excellent explanation :)
Can you please link me your virus post, I plan to reference it in a future post but am too lazy to dig for it :P
hahaahha
i got two, i think you're referring to the first though:
https://steemit.com/steemstem/@mcfarhat/are-viruses-alive
or this one
https://steemit.com/science/@mcfarhat/scientific-finding-100-million-year-old-virus-found-in-blood-of-pregnant-women
Yeah I wanted the first, thanks :)
nice image
Nice spam comment
Great article. I liked the way the details were explained
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