Biology Stack Exchange
Biology Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [immunology]

The study of the immune system in organisms, primarily responsible for fighting infection.

The study of the immune system, the system primarily responsible for fighting infection in living organisms.

For a list of books covering this topic, see Modern immunology textbooks.

related:

697 questions
43
votes
2 answers

Why don't we develop immunity against common cold?

We all suffer from common cold, and that, frequently. Why have we not developed immunity against it till now? By immunity I mean immunity as a species.
kinshukkashyap
  • 541
  • 1
  • 4
  • 6
29
votes
4 answers

What does vaccine efficacy mean?

In the last few weeks, Pfizer/BionTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca have each released preliminary estimates of the efficacy of their SARS-COV-2 vaccines. But what do their respective efficacy percentages actually mean? Is the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine…
thegreatwhatsit
  • 389
  • 3
  • 12
29
votes
1 answer

Are fully vaccinated people more likely to not get infected at all with COVID-19?

I've found some papers which describe that the viral shedding does not decrease during infection (for fully vaccinated people). But the overall shedding time does decrease. Therefore it is possible to say, that the vaccines could have a positive…
Mourinho_1
  • 401
  • 4
  • 8
27
votes
1 answer

Why do vaccines cause your arm to hurt?

When you get a shot for a vaccine (for example, the annual flu vaccine), the nurse frequently indicates that your arm will ache for a day or two, maybe more. This ache is typically not just a pain from having your skin punctured, but is actually an…
Kate Bertelsen
  • 381
  • 1
  • 3
  • 6
27
votes
5 answers

Why are scientists saying that the Omicron COVID-19 variant is a reason to get a booster?

I was watching Vox’s video, Big questions about the Covid booster shot, answered, which references the New York Times article Omicron Prompts Swift Reconsideration of Boosters Among Scientists. In these sources, it is mentioned that the scientific…
hb20007
  • 975
  • 9
  • 18
26
votes
1 answer

Why is untreated trypanosomiasis invariably fatal in humans?

If left untreated, African trypanosomiasis will invariably kill the patient. The human immune system is unable to clear the infection. I am aware of a few other infectious diseases with this property and I have a rudimentary understanding of the…
Brian
  • 427
  • 4
  • 6
26
votes
3 answers

Why do people have antibodies against other blood types?

The ABO blood type divides each blood type according to whether they have the "A" and "B" antigen(s) (AB has both, O has none). People also have antibodies against the antigens they don't have (AB has none, O has both), even before they have ever…
dtech
  • 442
  • 1
  • 4
  • 9
26
votes
2 answers

How is duration of efficacy estimated for vaccines?

Vaccines, especially those given in adulthood, usually have term limits attached, eg: 10 years for yellow fever or 3 years for typhoid. Since presumably the time course of an immune response is no great respecter of our calendrical conventions, and…
walkytalky
  • 818
  • 8
  • 13
25
votes
4 answers

How does the immune system "learn" from a vaccine?

According to Wikipedia: A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the…
Douglas S. Stones
  • 2,081
  • 14
  • 26
24
votes
2 answers

Why is it advised that infants are fed mother's milk?

I have heard that mother's milk is preferred over other baby foods, because it contains immunoglobulins (secretory IgA), and other essential nutrients. But why is mother's milk so special? Any mammalian milk, such as the widely available cow's…
Mehul Sharma
  • 351
  • 2
  • 5
23
votes
2 answers

Harmless virus?

Is it possible for a virus to live symbiotically with its host? Is the human body plagued with viral infections that do negligible harm, or even serve a beneficial role?
Gabriel Fair
  • 4,521
  • 8
  • 36
  • 71
22
votes
1 answer

Are lymphocyte sizes clustered in two groups?

Tortora writes in Principles of Anatomy and Physiology: Lymphocytes may be as small as 6–9 μm in diameter or as large as 10–14 μm in diameter. Those ranges are quite close to each others. Should the above be taken to mean that lymphocytes sizes…
user24
19
votes
4 answers

Do mRNA vaccines cause transfected cells to be killed by cytotoxic T cells?

Based on my research on how mRNA vaccines (specifically for COVID-19) work: An mRNA sequence, that contains the sequence of the coronavirus spike protein, is absorbed by some cells. These cells now produce foreign coronavirus spike protein. These…
mihirb
  • 331
  • 1
  • 6
19
votes
1 answer

Does vaccination lead to short-term secondary infection suceptibility?

For clarity, here is a summary of my question, per anongoodnurse's comment: Does a lower peripheral lymphocyte count resulting from recent immunization render us more susceptible to infection by other viruses? There are many bad-faith arguments…
acvill
  • 8,206
  • 1
  • 18
  • 54
18
votes
2 answers

Why does immunity from the flu vaccine appear only after two weeks?

It is said that immunity from a flu vaccine appears after about two weeks. However, from experience, the flu usually lasts only a few days. If sufficient antibodies appear only after two weeks shouldn't the flu also last that long? Or is there a…
Philo
  • 283
  • 2
  • 5
1
2 3
…
46 47