Immunomodulation and Vaccines

人类是在接触许多传染病，包括病毒、细菌和蠕虫的情况下进化的。我们的免疫系统进化为保护我们免受这些病原体的侵害。然而，它们中的一些已经发展出逃避或调节人类免疫反应的策略，这样它们就可以在人类宿主体内生活几十年，甚至一生。这些包括一些寄生虫（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，我们的免疫系统的发育可能与感染仍然常见的人群不同。这可能有利有弊。我们正在研究一种假设，即接触感染，尤其是慢性寄生虫感染，会改变1。对疫苗的反应——通常是以不利的方式，降低预期的保护性疫苗反应2。对导致癌症的病毒的反应——同时也减少了控制它们的有益免疫反应。易患哮喘和过敏。对糖尿病的易感性我们认为，有效治疗寄生虫感染可能会提高对疫苗和其他感染的反应，但会增加过敏相关疾病和糖尿病的风险。我们的研究旨在查明这是否属实。

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.