influenza virus

two types of immunity to influenza

We are constantly under assault by pathogenic infectious microorganisms. Thankfully, more than 1 billion years of evolution have equipped us with a host of methods to intercept and destroy invading pathogens: by two distinct protective schemes:
Innate and Adaptive immunity.

Of the two methods, the adaptive immunological response is the most well-known and extensively studied. Adaptive or acquired immunity, present in most vertebrate animals.

Adaptive immunity refers to antigen-specific immune response. The adaptive immune response is more complex than the innate. The antigen first must be processed and recognized. Once an antigen has been recognized, the adaptive immune system creates an army of immune cells specifically designed to attack that antigen. Adaptive immunity also includes a "memory" that makes future responses against a specific antigen more efficient.

Then why are we not immune to the Flu?
Flu viruses continually change (mutate) over time. This constant changing enables the virus to evade the immune system, so we are susceptible to the flu throughout life. This process works as follows: a person infected with a flu virus develops antibodies against that virus, as the virus changes, the "older" antibodies no longer recognizes the "newer" virus, and the person gets sick. The older antibodies can, however, provide partial protection against newer viruses.

Historically, Innate immunity has not enjoyed the same deep level of interest and study as the adaptive immunological response. Aparently, investigation of innate immunological response to infection has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, due in part to interest in co opting elements of innate immunity for advanced therapeutic applications.

Antimicrobial peptides are one example of a research field that has recently gathered extensive interest. Antimicrobial peptides (or AMPs) are a diverse class highly of conserved of small peptide molecules that attack, destroy, and deactivate invading bacterial, viral, or fungal pathogens in a variety of different ways.

A side note : Very early symptoms of rheumatic heart disease presents in childhood as a strep throat.

If it is not medically treated, it can progress to rheumatic fever and cause serious heart valve damage. Early medical treatment can prevent the development of rheumatic fever.
Families rely on home remedies for a strep throat which do not address the underlying disease.

Untreated rheumatic heart disease can result in disability, repeated hospitalization, heart failure, stroke, and death.