Immune Susceptibility

A person with a strong immune system exposed to a low viral load will handle the exposure with no problem, experiencing at most very mild symptoms. Unequal illness among cohabitants is not treated as a testing artifact. Genetic variants in detoxification pathways can make one family member severely ill while others remain asymptomatic or mildly affected. Personal susceptibility, defined as the strength of the immune system, is one of the key variables affecting viral infection risk. A negative test in the sickest person with positive results in less symptomatic family members should prompt mobilization pre-testing. People sharing the same environment may not be equally affected by mycotoxin illness. Lysis of lymph nodes eliminates the sites where immune reactions occur and where white blood cells are deployed against pathogens. Reduced antibody production and compromised cellular barriers together raise susceptibility to both viral and bacterial infections. Being fragile, elderly, or immunocompromised places individuals on a weakened respiratory system that increases their susceptibility to viral infection. Pre-existing conditions such as COPD, asthma, and chronic smoking increase…