Dampened immunity during pregnancy promotes evolution of more virulent flu

Wednesday, March 8, 2017 - 15:31 in Health & Medicine

During pregnancy, a mother's immune system is suppressed to protect the fetus, which is perceived as a foreign body because it is genetically different. A study in mice found that suppressed immunity during pregnancy creates a window of opportunity for the H1N1 influenza virus to infect the mother and to rapidly, within a few days, mutate into a more virulent strain.

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