New Test Could Reveal Every Virus That's Ever Infected You 74
sciencehabit writes: A new blood test can find almost every virus you ever caught—in a single drop of blood. Called VirScan, the test surveys the antibodies present in the bloodstream to reveal a history of the viruses you've been infected with throughout your life. Besides diagnosing current illnesses, the new test could be an important tool in developing vaccines and studying links between viruses and chronic disease.
Great tool for insurance companies, too (Score:2, Interesting)
Insurance companies could use this to determine the pattern of risk in your behavior throughout your life. Someone with antibodies for a bunch of diseases related to risky behavior could be charged a higher premium to represent that tendency for greater risk-taking.
For example, someone with antibodies for 50 different flu strains is clearly taking more risk than someone who has only, say, 10. Maybe they don't wash their hands well enough, or maybe they expose themselves to sick people more. Either way, they
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The flu isn't really a great example for "risky behavior." I would be surprised if I've been exposed to less than 50 strains of the flu virus and I go 3-5 years between being sick with the flu or similar on average. The flu is mostly just a symptom of a life-style that involves being around other people.
Re:Great tool for insurance companies, too (Score:4, Interesting)
The flu isn't really a great example for "risky behavior." I would be surprised if I've been exposed to less than 50 strains of the flu virus and I go 3-5 years between being sick with the flu or similar on average. The flu is mostly just a symptom of a life-style that involves being around other people.
A mega-flora of flu antibodies might actually be good for an applicant for insurance, as it generally represents greater future immunity to evolving flu strains.
Positives for hepatitis, HIV, etc. would definitely encourage the insurance company to attempt to opt you out.
wink wink If your maths are correct, I would be interested in getting your Doc's name and a reference.
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Positives for hepatitis can also mean you have had the hepatitis vaccine. They can currently test for hepatitis antibodies to check whether you need a booster....
Sorry, that's not true. I've posted below over my dealings with hepatitis, as far as I'm aware (been out of the medical field for a long time) gamma globulin is what one is given as quickly as possible if hepatitis is a possibility -preventing one from acquiring it; a vaccine I've never used. Once one has hepatitis they have it, there is no cure (it has to leave on it's own unless type C), again a long time since I've been in the medical field (Pharmacist).
A copy and paste:
"I've always claimed I had hepatitis, twice in fact the first time when I was 5 years old, yet no clue which "strain", last year I had blood work done to test for hepatitis, it came back I had had A and B, not a carrier and I haven't had hepatitis in quite sometime, as told by the antibodies." In this case the antibodies just showed I had had hepatitis at one time, and only a marker. Will admit that the antibodies were so few that the test barely picked them up, being in fact almost non-existent.
And in all fairness wikipedia does mention a booster vaccine for type B hepatitis.
Re:Great tool for insurance companies, too (Score:4)
If you show positive for HIV the insurance company already has a problem. I think it would work more like this. You show positive for having once had the clap or have HPV. Now you are marked as someone who has/had risky sex, ie outside a monogmous relationship where your partners health status is known or unprotected sex with anyone else. Your risk of contracting something expensive to treat like herpes or HIV went from very low to reasonably possible. Now the insurance company has a good reason to get you off their books.
That is probably the most likely example I can think of.
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Contracted X viruses? That's going into the calculation whether your body warded them off easily or not.
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Statistically, yes it is. 23 year old males are total idiots when it comes to their safety.
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Actually being in ones early 20s and male is highly correlated with auto accidents that is why the actuaries tell them to do that. Just like being in ones early 20s and female is highly correlated with requiring more frequent and more expensive medical care for a number of conditions including pregnancy.
For some reason though charging more for one is a prudent insurance practice and discrimination blocked by the ACA for another.
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There are generally three or four *main* strains going around each year, and a bunch of other less common ones. That's why flu shots are way less effective than would be hoped. This year the US is saying about 19% effective because they picked the strains they thought would be the most common threats.
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There are generally three or four *main* strains going around each year, and a bunch of other less common ones. That's why flu shots are way less effective than would be hoped. This year the US is saying about 19% effective because they picked the strains they thought would be the most common threats.
And why I've always refused a flu shot or other frivolous concoctions. When Regan made the older folks take the shots he weeded out the weak ones; I've read many articles where a "harmless" vaccine has caused unbelievable problems for some. I'm fairly healthy less my post below so don't feel it worth the risk.
Living in Washington State I won't even get my dog a rabies shot as the chances are so rare he would become effected, and so great it could take him out. This statement even agreed to by a veterinarian
Re: Great tool for insurance companies, too (Score:3)
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For example, someone with antibodies for 50 different flu strains is clearly taking more risk than someone who has only, say, 10.
Yeah... Or maybe they've had 50 different flu shots.
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Insurance companies could use this to determine the pattern of risk in your behavior throughout your life. Someone with antibodies for a bunch of diseases related to risky behavior could be charged a higher premium to represent that tendency for greater risk-taking.
Well, I guess now the ACA is going to do some good for everybody then, since they can't do that.
Don't vote GOP if you don't like it then! (Score:2)
Don't vote GOP if you don't like it then! Even more so with the end of job based health insurance.
As under the old system the only plans that will cover you will be some type of Medicaid plan (if you qualify) and Medicare (if you qualify) In the past some people where on Disability just for the healthcare and had to cut hours on the job as mini wage went up.
Other then there the ER that will cover some stuff and try to bill you for it. All at a higher cost of Medicare for all.
Bearing that the jail / prison s
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>> For example, someone with antibodies for 50 different flu strains is clearly taking more risk than someone who has only, say, 10
Explain the line of reasoning behind this.
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Insurance companies could use this to determine the pattern of risk in your behavior throughout your life. Someone with antibodies for a bunch of diseases related to risky behavior could be charged a higher premium to represent that tendency for greater risk-taking.
For example, someone with antibodies for 50 different flu strains is clearly taking more risk than someone who has only, say, 10. Maybe they don't wash their hands well enough, or maybe they expose themselves to sick people more. Either way, they are riskier people and should pay more.
That concern is over, it was a reality awhile back but now days, bragging where you are on a social site can have a cruise missile sent your way. The Internet is all about collecting info, cause it can be sold to Flurry.com who in turn sales it to others for personalized ads (lots of money involved), if you've ever posted of a medical problem you've had, it's public domain. Your private medical records available on demand by just about anybody. Read the next privacy policy you sign over a medical condition
Metadata only? (Score:5, Funny)
Next they will be saying that the test only looks at the Virus' metadata. They will only be logging the numbers of those who infected you, but not look at the actual antibodies.
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Next they will be saying that the test only looks at the Virus' metadata. They will only be logging the numbers of those who infected you, but not look at the actual antibodies.
Cute, but antibodies are metadata .
Great application (Score:1)
A great application would be to find people who have developed antibodies for deadly diseases that we as yet don't have a cure for.
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Antibodies do exist for viruses that the body has had to take down, but what if the body is already resilient against a virus because it lacks the "handle" the virus needs?
Re:Great application (Score:4, Interesting)
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Tainted mission statements. (Score:5, Insightful)
The sad part about reading about yet another mission to capture Big Data is not how it can be used for us, but how it can be used against us.
I hate having to think that way, and yet I'm forced to now. Every time.
I also struggle who to blame more. A society that demands everything for free, or the corporations that gladly subsidize those demands by selling your online soul in exchange.
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The sad part about reading about yet another mission to capture Big Data is not how it can be used for us, but how it can be used against us.
I hate having to think that way, and yet I'm forced to now. Every time.
You're in good company. Nearly every man who helped frame the US constitution was forced to think that way to prevent future abuses of power.
I would LOVE to see it ran against me! (Score:3, Interesting)
What virus have I NOT had under this test?
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Black Death?
Please tell me. . . (Score:5, Insightful)
Now, every time I go to the doctor, they are like "we will put you on these antibiotics and if you don't get better, you have a virus." It feels like the freaking middle ages. . .
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I apologize for being blunt, but:
If the doc is giving you antibiotics for every little thing, he's an idiot (or probably just giving you placebo).
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Yes, since the tools to economically diagnose viral vs bacterial infections does not exist, doctors do tend to
Works only if ... (Score:3)
Really? (Score:1)
Even after I format my disk?
Ah yes, now what viruses are associated with cance (Score:3)
I know some viruses insert into the genome at random places. Some of the places are close to known oncogenes, and may enhance the risk of expressing those oncogenes.
A virus known to do this may well be otherwise harmless, but if we can identify it, we may be able to vaccinate children against it, thus reducing the later risk of cancer from that cause. There might be dozens of them and we might be able to reduce cancer over-all this way
One Problem with the test is interpretation (Score:1)
I am an MD, and I get misinterpretations of this test all the time. Some of my patients with Chemical Sensitivity and/or Chronic Fatigue were poisoned and also have fear/stress/anxiety issues. Both poisoning and fear/stress/anxiety can increase all antibodies even the viral antibodies with no prior viral infections.
Poison such as pesticide can act as an immune stimulant to provoke the body into producing antibodies to everything. This immune stimulant effect is known as an adjuvant. Adjuvants in immunol
Antibodies do not last forever. (Score:2)
Saying this could tell you every virus you had in your life is nonsense. Antibodies do not last forever in the body. If they did, we wouldn't require BOOSTER SHOTS.
Just viruses? (Score:2)
Don't we have antibodies for bacteria and other pathogens also? Are they somehow less interesting?
Measles (Score:1)
Whoa, I think this is not true... (Score:1)
Antibodies only stay in the body to combat viruses for a certain period of time after that virus was killed, not one's whole life. That is my understanding from a Duke-trained med student.
Are there certain viruses that show antibodies for one's entire life and ones that don't? or is the headline misleading? I am very curious.
It's very close to being a reality now. (Score:2)
I've always claimed I had hepatitis, twice in fact the first time when I was 5 years old, yet no clue which "strain", last year I had blood work done to test for hepatitis, it came back I had had A and B, not a carrier and I haven't had hepatitis in quite sometime, as told by the antibodies.
A few weeks ago I proved to my self age is catching up, by dropping to the floor when my Kidneys quit working, a series of unusual events saved my life. A blood test was taken (as expected) but they could measure an enzy