Story Summary: That does not mean older people are protected from infection, and Deckhut-Augustine stressed that people should still be vaccinated against H1N1. Bjoern Peters and colleagues at the La Jolla Institute looked at flu epitopes — molecular markers or structures that the immune system recognizes — dating back 20 years. We found that the immune systems T-cells can recognize a significant percent of the markers in swine flu, Peters said in a statement. DUAL PROTECTIONThe human immune system has two kinds of protection. This T-cell response decreases severity of disease but doesnt prevent infection, said Deckhut-Augustine, whose agency helped pay for the study and maintains the public database that Peters used. The effect could be cumulative, Peters said, which could explain why people over 50 seem to be less likely to get noticeable H1N1 infections. They havent been around as long and they havent been exposed to different strains of H1N1 as long as adults. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests….Read the Full Story

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