Viruses are clever little troublemakers when it comes to avoiding our body’s defenses during infections. Here are some of the main tricks they use:
Changing Their Appearance: Many viruses, like the flu virus, regularly change their surface proteins. This constant change makes it hard for our immune system to recognize them after we’ve been infected once.
Hiding from the Immune System: Some viruses mess with how our cells show viral proteins on their surfaces. By blocking important markers, these viruses can hide, making it tough for T cells to find the infected cells.
Making Immune-Fighting Proteins Less Effective: Certain viruses create proteins that can weaken the immune response. For example, some herpesviruses release proteins that stop interferons from working. Interferons are important players in fighting off viruses.
Going into Hiding: Viruses like HIV and HSV can go into a sleepy state, where they stay inactive inside our cells. This helps them avoid detection since they’re not currently making more viruses or showing viral markers.
Preventing Cell Death: By stopping infected cells from dying when they’re supposed to (a process called apoptosis), viruses can stick around longer in the body. This allows them to make more copies of themselves and reduces the number of infected cells that the immune system can clear out.
Using Decoys: Some viruses release bits of their surface proteins that act like decoys. These decoys can soak up antibodies and other parts of the immune system, keeping them from attacking the real infected cells.
In short, the smart tricks that viruses use to dodge our immune system make studying them tricky but also really interesting!
Viruses are clever little troublemakers when it comes to avoiding our body’s defenses during infections. Here are some of the main tricks they use:
Changing Their Appearance: Many viruses, like the flu virus, regularly change their surface proteins. This constant change makes it hard for our immune system to recognize them after we’ve been infected once.
Hiding from the Immune System: Some viruses mess with how our cells show viral proteins on their surfaces. By blocking important markers, these viruses can hide, making it tough for T cells to find the infected cells.
Making Immune-Fighting Proteins Less Effective: Certain viruses create proteins that can weaken the immune response. For example, some herpesviruses release proteins that stop interferons from working. Interferons are important players in fighting off viruses.
Going into Hiding: Viruses like HIV and HSV can go into a sleepy state, where they stay inactive inside our cells. This helps them avoid detection since they’re not currently making more viruses or showing viral markers.
Preventing Cell Death: By stopping infected cells from dying when they’re supposed to (a process called apoptosis), viruses can stick around longer in the body. This allows them to make more copies of themselves and reduces the number of infected cells that the immune system can clear out.
Using Decoys: Some viruses release bits of their surface proteins that act like decoys. These decoys can soak up antibodies and other parts of the immune system, keeping them from attacking the real infected cells.
In short, the smart tricks that viruses use to dodge our immune system make studying them tricky but also really interesting!