Infants are prone to sickness but a new study has found that there is way to boost their immunity. The study states that it may be possible to activate the crucial cells to help infants fight off diseases from an early age. Researchers suggest that the natural ability to fight infection is there early on , but key cell signals inhibit the growth of essential immune cells early in life. Blocking this signalling could lead to improving an infant’s response to infection
Study author Yasmina Laouar said: “What happens at early age is that natural killer cells, like many other immune cells, do not complete their functional maturation until adulthood.” “During this time we are left with an immature immune system that cannot protect us against infections, the reason why newborns and infants are more prone to infection.” There is a large gap in understanding infant immunity, specifically why the natural killer cell responses are deficient, according to the researchers.
Source: IANS
