CDC Tracking Enterovirus D-68 Outbreak Causing Severe Respiratory Illness in Children in the Midwest

Enterovirus D68: a new threat to hematology patients?

“…2 Thus, many questions remain about the nature and dynamics of PC generation and survival. Importantly, PCs not only are the linchpin of long-lived protective immunity against pathogens and, by extension, underlie the success of vaccination but also contribute to human diseases such as autoimmunity (eg, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis), malignancies (eg, multiple myeloma, PC leukemia), and primary immunodeficiency in which they are not produced in sufficient quantities, rendering affected individuals susceptible to pathogen infection.…”

“…However, during the summer of 2014, outbreaks of severe respiratory disease, especially in children and teenagers with a history of asthma, occurred in Missouri and Illinois. 2,3 EV-D68 was identified in a majority of these cases, and during the rest of 2014, more than 1100 cases with documented EV-D68 infections were diagnosed all over the United States and reported to the CDC, including a small number of fatal infections. It has been suggested that the diagnosed cases are only "the tip of the iceberg," with a large number of undiagnosed mild infections occurring as well.…”

“…Although he did not realize it at the time, Thucydides was describing the process by which the mammalian immune system elicits long-lived serological memory that can often persist for a lifetime. 2 In the ;2400 years since, we have learned a lot about the cellular and molecular processes underlying this phenomenon. For instance, we know that plasma cells (PCs) are largely responsible for serological memory.…”

“…For instance, we know that plasma cells (PCs) are largely responsible for serological memory. [2][3][4][5] PCs are generated in germinal centers (GCs) from naive precursors that are activated after exposure to T-cell-dependent antigens. GC B cells undergo affinity-based selection and, depending on which and when signals are received, differentiate into plasmablasts, exit the physical structure of the GC, and start heading to the bone marrow (BM).…”

“…[3][4][5] Remarkably, it has been estimated that the half-life of neutralizing Abs ranges from 10 to .10 000 years, depending on the pathogen. 2 So, if those survivors from the fifth century BC were alive today, they might still be immune to the plague! Although this summary gives the impression that all is known about PC biology, this is far from reality.…”