Study: 1918 flu survivors seem immune to swine flu

[FarCenter]

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein, Ap Science Writer – Mon Jul 13, 7:36 pm ET

WASHINGTON – The way swine flu multiplies in the respiratory system is more severe than ordinary winter flu, a new study in animals finds. Tests in monkeys, mice and ferrets show that the swine flu thrives in greater numbers all over the respiratory system, including the lungs, and causes lesions, instead of staying in the nose and throat like seasonal flu.

In addition, blood tests show that many people who were born before the 1918 flu pandemic seem to have immunity to the current swine flu, but not to the seasonal flu that hits every year.

The research by a top University of Wisconsin flu researcher was released Monday and will be published in the journal Nature. "I'm very concerned because clearly the (swine flu) virus is different from seasonal influenza," said study lead author Yoshishiro Kawaoka. "It's a lot more severe." But it is still not as severe as the 1918 influenza, he said.
...

The CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat said late last month that people over 65, and maybe people over 50 "are less likely to get ill with this virus even when they're in a family with somebody who has it." A CDC study in May also found that one-third of senior citizens had some immunity to swine flu. But Kawaoka did not find that. He checked blood samples from a wide number of age groups. With two exceptions, he found only people who were born before the 1918 pandemic to have immunity.

<SNIP> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090713/ap_on_sc/us_swine_flu_study

[Kaleva]

1. Cause they already died years ago from old age?

[MercutioATC]

2. That was my first thought, too.

:)

[Motown_Johnny]

3. I was thinking that they must be immune to pretty much everything to have survived this long

[dflprincess]

7. No, the immune system usually gets weaker in the elderly

and the "normal" seasonal influenza is usually quite dangerous for them.

[Motown_Johnny]

8. excellent point.

but I was simply comparing my "gut reaction" to the one first posted about them all being dead from old age already.

[Hannah Bell]

4. yes, how many subjects did he test that were 91 or older?

[FarCenter]

6. There are upwards of a half million people over 95 in the US

Most of them are female.

[stray cat]

5. I'll vouch for the severity of the infection in the respiratory system

I have almost never been out from work an entire week and then another 2 weeks of severe bronchitis. Nasty enough for my taste.

[kestrel91316]

9. One of my employees has had a bug for 3 weeks, mild as far as

flu goes, with the exception of a severe lingering bronchitis. No idea if it's H1N1.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. This is a type of H1N1... I am not that surprised that the few

survivors would be immune to this sucker...

There are days but the obvious is staring them in the face.

As to severity, will see... that thing called evolution... and adaptation to its new host... aka us.

I suspect I had it two months ago, no they didn't test.. and it was VERY MILD. I am still in line to get the vaccine