Justin Su – WRIT 159B – News Article

Sudden Loss of Immune Memory after Measles Infection

By Justin Su, UCSB

Children who contract the measles virus are more susceptible to other viruses and bacteria post-

infection, according to a new study published in Science yesterday.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H.

Chan School of Public Health took a closer took at what happens to a child’s immune system while

infected with measles. Dr. Stephen Elledge, the lead investigator, and Dr. Michael Mina were able

to get an overall snapshot from the immune system of 77 unimmunized children donors from the

Netherlands. They used their own lab invention VirScan™ to detect antibodies – the body’s ammo

designed to attack a specific pathogen – in the blood from current or past encounters with viruses

and bacteria. These snapshots have indicated that memory B-cells and memory T-cells – the

memory banks of creating antibodies and cellular soldiers, respectively – have been compromised

in children after natural infection with measles virus, weakening the body’s defenses to recognize

other viruses and bacteria.

Drs. Elledge and Mina found a significant decrease – 40% to 73% – in the antibodies of children

after measles infection against prominent viral and bacterial strains – such as herpesviruses,

influenza virus, Epstein-Barr virus, Staphylococcus bacteria, etc. Therefore, according to Drs.

Elledge and Mina, those who have been infected with measles may benefit from booster shots of

all previous childhood vaccines.

Justin Su – WRIT 159B – News Article

These findings support the theory of immune amnesia, a phenomenon where the immune system

forgets how to do its job. Remarkably, immune amnesia was not observed in children who were

vaccinated for measles, suggesting the critical importance of the measles vaccination – not just in

the United States, but also in malnourished, third-world countries.

The measles-ravaged immune amnesia is now the current forefront of virus research with direct

implications to public health. Whereas herd immunity had shielded an American generation from

measles since the mid-80s, those who have had contracted the highly contagious measles virus in

this era must “relearn” how to protect the body against a wide variety of infections by vaccine

booster shots.

Measles was declared eradicated in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) in 2000 after a highly effective vaccination program. However, reemergence of

Measles from unvaccinated children and the anti-vaccination community (antivaxxers) led to high-

profile outbreaks in many states.