How many Viruses?

[YT2095]

over the last 3 weeks or so, all of my friends and family and even aquantances have had a rather nasty cold, I`ve not met anyone that hasn`t over this time span, that is except for me and my Daughter?

 

now to my thinking if were down to some sort of "Super Human" imune system, it would likely be just as harmfull as an ordinary one, so I`m discounting that as an idea.

 

My Wife has also had this cold, and although she`s carfull not to cough or sneeze on us, it would in my esstimation be impossible not to have taken in at least SOME of these viruses during.

 

my question is how many does it take to give someone a cold?

does that "rough number" differ from person to person?

I wonder if perhaps we could be a Carrier, so we actualy Have this virus, but it has no effect, then I got to thinking that wouldn`t explain my daughters reaction (or lack of) since this is her 1`st exposure to a cold at close quarters?

 

we don`t even eat the same foods (Obviously), and sometimes she goes places to visit and I stay at home or somewhere else.

this isn`t the 1`st time for me either, it happens regularly, I seem to catch maybe 1 to every 5 or 6 of everyone elses, but my Daughter?

I can`t figure out how this can happen?

[RyanJ]

my question is how many does it take to give someone a cold?

does that "rough number" differ from person to person?

I wonder if perhaps we could be a Carrier' date=' so we actualy Have this virus, but it has no effect, then I got to thinking that wouldn`t explain my daughters reaction (or lack of) since this is her 1`st exposure to a cold at close quarters?

 

we don`t even eat the same foods (Obviously), and sometimes she goes places to visit and I stay at home or somewhere else.

this isn`t the 1`st time for me either, it happens regularly, I seem to catch maybe 1 to every 5 or 6 of everyone elses, but my Daughter?

I can`t figure out how this can happen?[/quote']

 

The answer to your question is 1. 1 Virus inside the body can give you a cold given the right oppertunity.

If that one virus gets to a cell and then injects its RNA that call will then start to produce more viruses and then it will burst spreading the viruses and this goes on and on untill your immune system finally kills them.

 

I don't get colds very often either, even when most of my family has them. When I spoke to a doctor about this (My biology teacher is certified as one) he said its probably that your immune system already has the antigens needed to kill the virus. This could be the same for a lot of other people (My brother is another who hardly ever gets colds).

I'm not shure why some people seem to be immune to certain viruses and bacteris for no reason it could be passive immunity I suppose or you could just have been lucky and none of the viruses made it to the trachea where they reproduce

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[Helix]

 

The answer to your question is 1. 1 Virus inside the body can give you a cold given the right oppertunity.

If that one virus gets to a cell and then injects its RNA that call will then start to produce more viruses and then it will burst spreading the viruses and this goes on and on untill your immune system finally kills them.

 

 

That makes logical sense but for some reason, it takes a few more than 1 to do the job (thankfully for us). Because only one viron isnt going to be much of a threat to the immune system and it's a lot harder for one viron to trick our immune system than, say, 30 or more. So, I think the minimun is around 7-20 depending on the virus' lethality (Ebola takes 7, obviously because it's one hardcore motherf***er).

 

About your immunity, and your daughter's, I would think that either you are extremely lucky or maybe your immune system is a notch above normal and your wife's is a notch below. Because if this is a regular thing, than luck can only go so far. I think, and I'm no immunologist, that maybe you've had some of these viruses before and your immune system is a tad better than everyone elses. Same for your daughter, which makes sense. If yours is better than so is your offspring's, that's the premise of natural selection; that good attributes can be carried genetically resulting in a species changing.

 

So, did your daughter and you go anywhere alone for an extended period of time? A vacation? That could have allowed for you both to catch minor versions of generic viruses and be able to fight them.

 

I really don't know though; this is just me thinking aloud. Whatever the case, your lucky you dont have do deal with all the viruses everyone else does.

[YT2095]

roughly about 1 in 5 of these "mini epedemics" I may catch something, that is to say the cold or flu that "everyone" around me seems to get from time to time that I have close contact with, I`ll maybe get it One time for every 5 times they do. now Surely having an immune system THAT GOOD, would be a danger to me also?

I`ve read about people with extreme immune systems, and their white cells even attack their own bodies and makes them very ill indeed, Lupus is one such type IIRC.

 

I have nothing at all like that, and I`m not particularly fit either, I`m a smoker and a drinker, I eat meat at least 6 days a week, I only eat once a day, excersize is digging in my garden and that`s about all I get.

 

dirty cuts or wounds never get infected, and the only infection I`ve had to deal with of late was a bad tooth that rotted into the jaw and cheekbone/sinus cavity while the outside of the tooth looked fine (that one made me feel a bit down).

 

aren`t colds and flus supposed to mutate though? and that`s why some folks have to have a yearly flu shot?

so surely it would be impossible to have an immunity to them?

 

could being a smoker AND a drinker help? my wife smokes and gets these colds, but she doesn`t drink (only on occasion) I like a beer or 2 per day (except if it`s too cold, then I like hot mugs of soup).

 

and no, I`m not a beleiver in "Luck" per se, not when the occurance is so regular.

[RyanJ]

aren`t colds and flus supposed to mutate though? and that`s why some folks have to have a yearly flu shot?

so surely it would be impossible to have an immunity to them?

 

Yes they do mutate - thats why people keep on getting colds all the tile - its exactly the same with the AIDS viru' date=' thats why its a pain to try to make an vaccination for it!

 

could being a smoker AND a drinker help? my wife smokes and gets these colds, but she doesn`t drink (only on occasion) I like a beer or 2 per day (except if it`s too cold, then I like hot mugs of soup).

 

and no, I`m not a beleiver in "Luck" per se, not when the occurance is so regular.

 

I think smoking actually damages your immune system as for the effects of beer I am not shure!

 

I know the immune system can adapt and can change its self and thats why you can get new immunities to things. Maybe tht adaption can actualy change its self or maybe a mutation can cause it to work faster so you don't realize that you have caught the virus but you did only slightly.

 

I'm short of ideas on this subject although I'd like to know the anser to this myself!

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[LucidDreamer]

I believe that you can have a much better immune system than another person without having an auto-immune disease.

[YT2095]

so in the instances where I have been unfortunate enough to get a cold or a flu, I must have taken in quite a few of these viruses for it happen then?

[zyncod]

Smoking must be good - I'm 3/4 a pack a day and I haven't had the flu in more years than I can remember and only about one cold a year.

 

It's probably actually more of an overall health thing. Flu viruses are more difficult to come in contact with given that they're seasonal and fewer people are affected at any given time. For colds, though, there are over 20 different viruses that can cause that and they're around all the time. You can have an overactive immune system without having an autoimmune disease, but most likely you're more healthy overall than most of the people you know. Pretty much anything that affects any part of your health will affect your immune system; if you don't get any sleep two nights running, you're probably going to get sick.

[YT2095]

actualy, my health or fitness isn`t exatly what I`de call any better than the next guys, in fact some of the people I know that have had this recent cold, are probably 2 or 3 times "Fitter" than myself with respect to Stamina in excersize, they eat alot more greens than I do (except for Chili peppers), don`t smoke or drink, have little to no exposure to toxic chems, get less sleep than me etc...

I`m really not a brilliant example of a physicaly Fit person at all.

 

an idea DID occur to me though, I tend to bite my nails when thinking (I don`t actualy chew them off), could be introducing minute quantities of these bugs into my system and it`s coping with it, so when I get a "Noramal" does of a bug, I`m already prepared by accident?

 

my Daughter at 4 and half months always has her fingers and toys in her mouth too (exploring), could THAT be the link?

[RyanJ]

Thats a good point, it could very well be. I remember reading an article on somehting like this except it was a studdy of those snobby people who keep their children away from any dirt. When thee children grew up they had next to no imminuty to just about everything because their immune system had never faught that type of bug before.

 

I too bite my nails a lot (especially when I'm thinking about something) so its a very good possability that a minute ammount of these viruses are getting into the system and are being attached by the immune system creating a natural immunity!

 

Seems to make sence that it would act like that - once the things are inside you your immune system will make the anti-gens to kill thm one way or another, if you get them in small doses then that would allow you to creat the correct anti-gens without actually getting infected

 

Could it be biting your nails premoted good health!

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Jones

[treva]

YT how old is your daughter? Women who are pregnant and breastfeeding are thought to be more susceptible to diseases (they enter a state of immunosupression) then men and women who are not pregnant or not breast feeding. Also, children usually have weaker immunity then adults simply because they haven't been exposed to the wide variety of potential pathogens then a person of an older age (obviously, because they have been living longer) so they have less memory. When you've been exposed to a pathogen before you have pretty good antibodies to neutralize it that were a result from the first infection, and upon secondary exposure your body makes even better antibodies to the pathogen then were initially present, and this continues each time thereafter you are exposed to the immune system.

 

Biting your nails could have something to do with it, but it also comes down to hygenic practices as well. Washing your hands on a regular basis is probably the best preventitive measure in avoiding disease.

 

Also you could be genetically predisposed by your genes to fight off infection better then your wife or child. Not all immune systems are created equally, some are much better then others at fighting off disease without causing autoimmunity. Any drugs your wife or daughter are taking could also affect their immune response.

 

So basically, theres alot of factors lol.

[insane_alien]

i always get colds. this year i've had 3 already and i've just caught a fourth. although i've never caught the flu. i've been around it a lot but never caught it. I always assumed it was just that my immune system waas better at fighting the flu than the common cold.

[YT2095]

YT how old is your daughter?

 

she was only 4 months old at the time of posting this thread, she SEEMS to be either lucky or have my Immune system, I hope it`s the latter!