Herpes: an immune system boost?
Most of us cringe at the very utterance of the word “herpes”, because of its sordid associations. But herpes is part of a group of viruses called herpesviruses, eight of which infect humans and which most of us get at one time or another. They include glandular fever, chicken pox, shingles, some rare types of cancer, and herpes itself.
After the initial infection is fought off, the virus enters a latent phase with no symptoms but with the potential for later reactivation. In extreme cases this can lead to chronic inflammation, causing autoimmune diseases or some types of cancer.
But a study (published in Nature 447: 326-330) by Erik Barton et al., at the Washington University Medical School, has shown that herpesvirus-infected mice, once they entered the latent stage, were surprisingly resistant to certain types of bacteria–in particular, the bubonic plague.
The latent stage of the virus works by releasing high levels of cytokines, which help to coordinate the immune system’s defense against infection. Barton believes that all herpesviruses provide bacterial resistance, and that by depriving children of some of these infections as children we are not priming their immune systems against future threats.
At the same time, many government health agencies are promoting the chicken pox vaccine. Perhaps we should think twice.