can you catch the same cold twice?

[steakyfask]

is it possable to catch the same cold or sickness twice or does your body learn to deal with that paticular type of bacteria?

[Mr Skeptic]

The cold is caused by a virus, not a bacteria. The cold virus mutates a lot, so you are unlikely to catch the "same" one twice, even if you could. After being cured of a disease by your immune system, antibodies specially prepared against it will remain in your bloodstream, giving you protection for some time for that and even similar diseases. This is not always permanent. So I'd say yes, you probably could catch the same cold twice, but it would be rather unlikely.

[DctrZaius]

A perfect example of this is the recent H1N1 flu! Many older people who caught the H1N1 Spanish flu last century were partially immune to Swine flu. It's pretty amazing that immunological memory lasted that long. Oppositely, I caught chicken pox twice within 5 years so my immune system memory was pathetic, or I just didn't generate any T cells with a high affinity for the antigen initially.

Edited October 13, 2010 by DctrZaius

[CharonY]

Note that it depends also a bit on the status of your immune system. If you got antibodies against it your resistance is very high, but if your immune system is otherwise compromised, it may not be able to mount a thorough immune response and thus render you vulnerable.

 

The chances are generally low, though.

[The Foot Tapper]

You can have the same infection twice, though it's unlikely.