4 ms·

Related to your "exposed to" vs "infected" point, I've been wanting to check my understanding on something, and hopefully someone here can provide a more inform

Related to your "exposed to" vs "infected" point, I've been wanting to check my understanding on something, and hopefully someone here can provide a more informed opinion. Immunity can be boosted through exposure, right? For instance, if someone was vaccinated, but then exposed and was lucky enough not to develop an infection from their exposure, are they immunologically better off as a result of that exposure? I think they probably are, because my understanding is that's how the earliest vaccines worked (exposure on a small enough innoculum to avoid infection) but I'm not an expert, so would love to hear more about this & whether there's a name for such an immune effect when it happens in the wild.

coryrc 5y ago
Yes, but probably not much. It also depends on how many particles it takes to get you sick. Norovirus is only 7, which is insane and also why it spreads so easily. Hard to have just an exposure to that!
- Fomite 5y ago
  Norovirus is just bonkers.
Fomite 5y ago
Immunity can be boosted through exposure (indeed, this is one of the reasons why we may be seeing higher rates of shingles in young people, or why we see occasional outbreaks of pertussis in people who were vaccinated awhile back). But for that, you are, at most, looking for the occasional transient exposure - not the bombardment that one is getting right now.
Gibbon1 5y ago
I saw a blurb about tests of a two part vaccine on mine. First dose an mRNA vaccine injection. Second dose is intranasal naked spike protein. Provided good protection when the mice were challenged. The spike protein isn't infectious. Part of the motivation behind intranasal vaccines is the hope that mucosal immunity provides better protection. Also read a summary of influenza challenge studies. People exposed to low doses often seroconverted asymptomatically. I feel it's plausible small exposures after vaccination would build more protection.

coryrc 5y ago

Yes, but probably not much. It also depends on how many particles it takes to get you sick. Norovirus is only 7, which is insane and also why it spreads so easily. Hard to have just an exposure to that!

Fomite 5y ago
Norovirus is just bonkers.

Fomite 5y ago

Immunity can be boosted through exposure (indeed, this is one of the reasons why we may be seeing higher rates of shingles in young people, or why we see occasional outbreaks of pertussis in people who were vaccinated awhile back). But for that, you are, at most, looking for the occasional transient exposure - not the bombardment that one is getting right now.

Gibbon1 5y ago

I saw a blurb about tests of a two part vaccine on mine. First dose an mRNA vaccine injection. Second dose is intranasal naked spike protein. Provided good protection when the mice were challenged. The spike protein isn't infectious. Part of the motivation behind intranasal vaccines is the hope that mucosal immunity provides better protection. Also read a summary of influenza challenge studies. People exposed to low doses often seroconverted asymptomatically. I feel it's plausible small exposures after vaccination would build more protection.