Immunomodulation and Vaccines

人类在接触许多传染病的情况下进化，包括病毒、细菌和蠕虫。我们的免疫系统进化来保护我们免受这些病原体的侵害。然而，它们中的一些人已经制定了策略来逃避或调节人类的免疫反应，这样它们就可以在人类宿主中生活几十年，甚至终身。其中包括一些寄生虫(蠕虫、疟疾)，生活在我们肠道和皮肤上的细菌，以及一些病毒。在传染病已经变得不常见的人群中，我们的免疫系统很可能与感染仍然常见的人群发展不同。这可能有好处也有坏处。我们正在调查一种假设，即接触感染，特别是慢性寄生虫感染，会改变1.对疫苗的反应--通常是以一种不利的方式，减少期望的、保护性的疫苗反应2。对致癌病毒的反应--也减少了控制病毒的有益免疫反应。易患哮喘和过敏4。对糖尿病的易感性我们认为，有效地治疗寄生虫感染可能会改善对疫苗和其他感染的反应，但会增加与过敏相关的疾病和糖尿病的风险。我们的研究旨在找出事实是否如此。

Human beings evolved in the presence of exposure to many infectious diseases, including viruses, bacteria and worms. Our immune systems evolved to protect us from these agents. However, some of them have develop strategies to evade or regulate the human immune response in such a way that they can live in their human hosts for decades, or for life. These include some parasites (worms, malaria) the bacteria that live in our gut and on our skin, and some viruses. In populations where infectious diseases have become uncommon it is likely that our immune systems develop differently compared to populations where infections are still common. This may have both benefits and disadvantages. We are investigating the hypothesis that exposure to infections, and especially chronic parasitic infections, alters 1. Responses to vaccines – generally in an adverse way, reducing desired, protective vaccine responses2. Responses to viruses which cause cancer – also reducing beneficial immune responses that control them3. Susceptibility to asthma and allergy4. Susceptibility to diabetesWe think that treating parasitic infections effectively may improve the response to vaccines and other infections, but increase the risk of allergy-related diseases and diabetes. Our studies are designed to find out whether this is so.