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COVID-19 / Are any viruses known to make a quick exit once they're rumbled?
« on: 30/04/2021 16:24:30 »
I'm thinking of a strategy like this:- infect, multiply and as soon as a specific part of the immune system is detected by the virus it multiplies less and sheds more - to get into a new host and produce a lesser immune response in order to make reinfection of the same host, at a later date, easier.
What made me ask this?
The virus has often been said to be good (by viral standards) at evading the immune system - it seems to use more tricks than most. Generally, most symptoms of viral infection are actually caused by the immune system rather than the virus itself, but the viral load of CoV2 is high before any symptoms are noticed. The viral load peaks at about day 6: perhaps the T-cells quickly deal with CoV2 once detected but it would be unusual, even exceptional to start getting the better of a virus in just two days - it would be two days if symptom onset was indicative of infection recognition, especially one that is adept at evading the immune system.
If a strategy can work, then there will be organisms using that strategy.
Bonus points available for spotting the pun in the question.
What made me ask this?
The virus has often been said to be good (by viral standards) at evading the immune system - it seems to use more tricks than most. Generally, most symptoms of viral infection are actually caused by the immune system rather than the virus itself, but the viral load of CoV2 is high before any symptoms are noticed. The viral load peaks at about day 6: perhaps the T-cells quickly deal with CoV2 once detected but it would be unusual, even exceptional to start getting the better of a virus in just two days - it would be two days if symptom onset was indicative of infection recognition, especially one that is adept at evading the immune system.
If a strategy can work, then there will be organisms using that strategy.
Bonus points available for spotting the pun in the question.