Advanced Noro question for Alvin:

[johnyricer]

I've recently done some research on my computer, and came up with a scientific experiment done to correlate ABO antibody connections to specific norovirus strains. They tested 14 different strains of norovirus' responceto A,B,Ab, O and non-secretors and found that for most of them, they strongly connected to a certain antibody secretion. For example, the norwalk strain tested (the original strain found in Norwalk, OH) strongly attached and reproduced on people with type O, A, AB, however, didn't attach at all to people with antibody B and nonsecretors. Hence, there is now proof that different strains are attracted to certain people with a specific antibody in their blood. Some are strongly attracted to type O, others to type B or A, ect. Out of all 14 strains they tested, they found that by a small amount type B blood was least susceptable to the virus in general. But my question is this: Are different strains of norovirus, in general, to some degree symptomatically different? For example, whats refered to as "the norwalk strain" of norovirus caused most people to have precipitate vomiting, but many people who get a norovirus infectionin general dont necessarily experience precipitate v*, but may experience a ton of diarhea and little v*. I'm aware that a lot of a persons symptomatic responce deals with their own immune system, however, I'm talking in general about probable symptomatic experiences due to specific strains that belong in the norovirus family. So could the norwalk strain be prone to cause precipitate v*? While another strain could be prone to cause heavier diarhea and less v*?



Also, could the specific norwalk strain of norovirus, for example, mutate so that this strain now infects type B, and nonsecretors, but not type O?

Thanks a ton!

[chicajojobe]

From what I hear Alvin isn't coming any more, but I'll try to find an answer for you.

It may take a while. If I can't find the answer online, I'll ask one of my professors when classes resume again. I'm a biology major, which I believe Alvin was too, I haven't completed my undergraduate studies yet.....but I'll try my best.

[rubysoho120]

That was such a complicated question...but very interesting...I would like to know my blood type

[johnyricer]

thanks a lot chicajojobe, that would be greatly appreciated!

[worrygirl]

Yeah, keep us posted. That would be interesting to know.

[andee]

Sage, can you help us out on this???? I always wondered how many strains there were, and if you get one, are you immune? What about other strains?</font>

[johnlp]

Good bit of research Johnyricer. I've seen the same infor on blood types. I do know this, my wife and kids and I all are O and when we have been hit with sv* (assuming it was NLV) we all has different symptoms e.g


Daughter has severe v* for about 6-8 hours at a rate of once avery 30 minutes and no d*


Son has d* for about 12 hours and at most will only v* once


Wife will have a few bouts of d* and at most will v* once


I will have severe d* with body aches and will run a high fever in the last 6 hours of the attack. no v* since 1984.


So I think there are pre programed immune responces that work best for the individual. no one else ever gets the aches and fever. Also, my daughter is usually over it in a 12 hour period whereas I will suffer for 24 hours at the minimum.


I always wondered if v* speeded up the recovery time but it seems that has been disproven and some even suggest that the v* responce is actually the virus method of spreading as opposed to the body expelling toxins because studies have pointed out that by the time toxins reach the small intestines to trigger the v* responce most of the toxins are in the bloodstream thus making v* usless.


I just don't think enough is being doe to really understand this illness because it is so short lived that most Drs. dismis it as no more significant than the common cold.

[swiftette]

Oh Hooray-I'm b+[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[sage]

Hi Johnyricer,


Acc. to Alvin, these are exactly the questions that researchers are currently working on and do not yet know the answers to. You've unearthed the basic nature of the research, in other words. Researchers are hoping to do further work and discover more about the virus so that a vaccine might be developed.


The problem with studying people who already have contracted the virus is that's it's impossible to know how many particles of the virus someone has ingested, and the strength of each person's immune system to kill it.


On a personal note (sage) I'll bet it's a lot easier to pay university students 100 bucks to put a few drops of a cold virus up their noses than it is to pay them to get norovirus!


Let's hope further research can be done somehow to get a vaccine developed. But then again, people on here would still have their main problem: an anxiety disorder. No vaccine for norwalk will make that go away.

[angeltearsMC]

Man, if I wasn't terrified of norovirus, this would make an excellent
thesis subject... I'll be hunting for one of those in the next couple
of years!

[chicajojobe]

Yeah I found pretty much the same thing sage said. That basically they haven't figured that out yet.

I did find one source which said that the type which recognizes blood group A and B antigens has been involved in 28 outbreaks, compared to three for the one which recognizes A and O.

So you could speculate about what that information might mean about virulence, but I haven't found any evidence to back up any theories either way. In other words, it could mean something significant or it could just be a coincidence.

If anyone wants to check it out here's the link: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/con...od-disease/cau ses/noroview.html

Edited by: chicajojobe

[lianaismadchill]

What happened to Alvin? lol i feel stupid asking because I'm probably the only one that realized Alvin isnt here anymore.

[rubysoho120]

What happened to Alvin? lol i feel stupid asking because I'm probably the only one that realized Alvin isnt here anymore.

There was a bad um problem with people um not agreeing with Alvin and arguing, and now he wont come back because he was basically insulted, you know?

[worrygirl]

That sucks!!!!!! He was so knowledgable.

[sage]

He's off pouting, but don't worry - he's also arranging for a Ph.D. virologist from UBC to either write or verify his info, and then he'll post up an info sheet with facts about noroviruses. We might also try to get this guy to do a video interview and podcast from here or youtube. So stay tuned - he's not far off!

[todzwife]

That would be so awesome! I can't wait to hear the results.

[xxsophiaxx]

aww i miss Alvin. I always agreed with what he said.

[sage]

ha ha - well not everyone did...and he's the moody academic-genius type who doesn't cope well with anyone whom he thinks is doubting scientific facts. Anyway, he's my daughter's problem for the most part - lol. Normally, he's a really great guy and very nice but sort of has a zero tolerance for some stuff. Anyway, no need to defend him, he's a big boy. We'll get the facts back up soon and then they'll just sort of sit there. I don't think either of us found it really helpful to have ongoing Q&amp;A about this stuff. The people who were critical were right about one thing -it putstoo much emphasis on norovirus, and not enough on addressing the problem of anxiety about it.

[xxsophiaxx]

oh well, I really don't blame him. I'm somewhat that way too, but it's harder to get people to believe me since I don't even have any college degree yet, lmfao.