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| Antibodies still protect 1918 influenza survivors-study |
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August 2008New research by American scientists has revealed that antibodies from survivors of the 1918 flu pandemic, the worst in human memory, still protects against the deadly virus. The findings detailed in the journal Nature (Neutralizing antibodies derived from the B cells of 1918 influenza pandemic survivors, Yu et al, (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature07231) report that the immune systems of the pandemic survivors, still alive today, carry a memory of that virus and can produce antibodies that kill the 1918 flu strain with surprising efficiency. "It was very surprising that these subjects would still have cells floating in their blood so long afterward," said Dr. James Crowe of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, who helped lead the study. "The antibodies that we isolated are remarkable antibodies. They grab onto the virus very tightly and they virtually never fall off," Crowe said in a telephone interview. "That allows them to kill the 1918 virus with extreme potency, meaning it takes a very small amount of antibody. Content Updated ( Wednesday, 3rd September 2008) |