Society & Culture

Australia

Society & Culture

Posted by: EVLCRETURE

20th Nov 2008 11:47pm

Is the next generation going to be strong enough? Are we breading the natural strength out of our immune systems?


elmina
  • 8th Nov 2010 01:28pm

I think you mean breeding?
No - immune systems adapt, like any other system in an organism. Adaptation to the environment and surrounding circumstances is a natural phenomenon that ensures organisms endure, and live on to successfully reproduce and gradually mutate.
Change will happen, and the human immune system adapts around those changes. However, it is also inevitable that all these small and gradual alterations mean that things do not remain the same. For example, someone living in a city in the 18th century had immunity to the diseases rampant then - they would be totally vulnerable to our diseases if they suddenly reappeared now and faced hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.

See what I mean? And we have become very vulnerable to TB and smallpox because they have been distant from us, and out of circulation for so long.


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