alex3619
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HI Gemini, to my understanding a large range of pathogens infect B cells. This paper specifically talks about CV B3 infecting B cells, and shows that this might somehow be antibody mediated. Perhaps viral particles bound to antibody are absorbed by the cells? So far as I am aware, most of the pathogens associated with ME are capable of infecting B cells. This includes, I think, most picorna viruses, and Coxsackie viruses are in that family. What we did not know is how CV B3 infected B cells as they should be immune to the regular means of infection (it requires certain cell receptors). This is why they are looking at mechanisms, to try to explain how this virus infects B cells - it had to be an alternative mechanism.
I have only read the abstract so there is no way of telling what additional information might be in the full paper that might enhance our understanding.
There was a paper last year (that I keep forgetting the name of) that talked about pathogen life cycles in ME. Most of them travel in B cells and infect inflammed tissue they are passing through, especially gut mucosa. That seems to be the common pattern. Additional factors occur with Coxsackie as it tends to infect muscle, and herpes viruses which tend to hide (often latent) in nerves. Coxsackie B3 is suspected of being a leading cause of heart failure, and there are no effective antiviral therapies for it.
With most of these pathogens killing off the B cells will not deal with the virus in other tissues. However, it will slow the spread of virus by preventing at least some new infection, and it might induce changes in the immune system to Th1 (T cell, NK cell, macrophage etc.) which will enhance killing of virus in infected cells. We need that Phase 3 clinical trial and more lab research on this.
Something else might happen though, with Rituximab as an agent against these types of pathogens. While it will not remove pathogens from gut, muscle or nerve, if the B cells are signalling their infection and this induces the changes in ME or CFS, then removing the B cells will remove the signal. In effect it will cause remission of ME or CFS if enough B cells carrying the infection are removed. However, under this interpretation it would not be a cure. The latent pathogens will persist, and can potentially reinfect the B cells.
Bye, Alex