A serious question for somebody in the Medical Field.

BlueJazz

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Sat Oct-01-05 09:08 PM
Original message

A serious question for somebody in the Medical Field.

Edited on Sat Oct-01-05 09:09 PM by BlueJazz

Bare with me..

You know how on TV shows or movies, that if the general population gets infected with some strange virus, the "star" (or Doctor) will say "We'll draw blood from the people who are fighting the virus well and give it to the ones whose immune system is "not so good"?

Well, could someone who has the Flu be injected with a small amount of blood from someone who has already had the same strain of Flu and fairly quickly "Get Well"?

Just Curious...

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Mayberry Machiavelli

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Sat Oct-01-05 09:13 PM
Response to Original message

1. Since there is the issue of blood compatibility this wouldn't work.

If you wanted immunoglobulins that the "immune" person produced against the offending organism, you'd have to draw a large amount of blood and process or "pherese" it to get that substance.

If blood was incompatible between the people this could lead to a transfusion reaction which can be a serious problem.

Not to mention that any viruses (heptatitis, HIV) harbored by the person from whom the blood was drawn could be transmitted to the other person in this way.

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Horse with no Name

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Sat Oct-01-05 09:13 PM
Response to Original message

2. You probably wouldn't see it with the flu because there are

Edited on Sat Oct-01-05 09:16 PM by Horse with no Name

appropriate antivirals out there as well as vaccines.
You could see human antiserum given in more exotic of bacteremias such as mutant ecoli and septic shock.
You have to always remember that the benefit has to outweigh the risk.

edited to add link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=83036793&dopt=Citation

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MojoXN

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Sat Oct-01-05 09:13 PM
Response to Original message

3. "Well, could..."

In a word, no.

The protein markers differ from person to person. Then you've got blood type issues, RH issues, allergies, rejection, so on and so forth. Now what you COULD do is expose people to less virulent forms of the disease, and hope for the best. Not exactly the most elegant solution, but... Besides, the "same strain of flu", if lethal, is highly likely to be lethal across the board. By injecting someone with virus-laden blood, you'd most likely just be hastening their death.

By the way, I'm NOT a medical professional, so take everything that I've written with a grain of salt (or two).

MojoXN

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pinto

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Sat Oct-01-05 09:15 PM
Response to Original message

4. Locking.

Please consult your local health professional for this info.
DU's just not the venue for medical advice.

Thanks for your consideration.

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