Herpes as a Positive
Herpes has a good side according to MSNBC. com.
The article states the herpes family of viruses can have a surprising upside — it can protect against the bubonic plague and other bacterial contagions, at least in mice.
These new results do not mean people should go out and get infected with herpes, Virgin stressed. They probably already are. Nearly all humans become infected with multiple herpes virus family members during childhood. These germs not only include the herpes simplex viruses, which lead to cold sores and possibly genital herpes, but also the diseases responsible for chickenpox and “mono,” as well as several less well-known ailments. Herpes infections have bedeviled animals for more than 100 million years.
The scientists discovered latent infections with these viruses could protect mice from bacterial infections, including Yersinia pestis, which causes bubonic plague, and Listeria monocytogenes, which causes one kind of food poisoning, findings detailed in the May 17 issue of the journal Nature.”
This goes to show there’s an upside to almost everything in life. Are you looking for the dark cloud in every silver lining, or vice versa?
herpes, bubonic plague, food poisoning
herpes, bubonic plague, food poisoning
May 17th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Hmm. Quite a topic! But it’s funny how certain illnesses/conditions can have a silver lining. My dad nearly died from malaria in Africa when he was a child; though he can’t donate blood, he’s literally only been sick once in his entire life since the malaria. It gave him a rock solid immune system for life.
October 30th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
[...] Brick ONeil wrote a fantastic post today on “Herpes as a Positive”Here’s ONLY a quick extractThese new results do not mean people should go out and get infected with herpes, Virgin stressed. They probably already are. Nearly all humans become infected with multiple herpes virus family members during childhood. … [...]