Steps the measles virus can trigger immune response of a body:

• Innate immunity response : for the 1st exposure to the pathogens

• Adaptive immune response takes place --- the body is alerted.

Measles virus : respiratory virus  enter the body through inhalation

- influenza and rhinovirus : contained within the airway

- Measles : causes a system infection of cells in the body

Measles virus is a negative strand , RNA virus – genome : a single segment of RNA

How measles virus spreads – cough and sneeze

Flu and rhinovirus : within a few days after infection  produce large
quantities of virus, causing typical cold or flu-like symptoms

Measles : cause no disease symptoms until about 10 days after infection --

“silence” period

o During this period the innate immune system deals so effectively with
the initial measles attack – few airway cells are infected and little new
virus is produced.

o How Measles takes this initial defeat in stride  using “Trojan Horse”
strategy  spread the virus throughout the body  eventually back to
the airway

Process of Trojan Horse strategy

Early phases
- Innate immune response ---cytokines + dendritic cells – adaptive
immuned response

o Macrophages (internal defense – phagocytic mechanism)

battling infection in the respiratory tract

o Cytokines –given off , dendritic cells dispatch from the battle

scene to near by lymph nodes

o Dendritic cells – infected on the “front lines”- produce viral

protein

Fragments of protein - transported to the surface of the cells

  bound to class I MHC molecules ->> activate Cytotoxic T
cells

 give rise to : Memory Cytotoxic T cells + Active

Cytotoxic T cells

 the adaptive immune system is alerted

Note : Everything till now seems to be perfect. The acquired immune system
knows that there’s infection – signals are transmitted, the body is alerted and
fighting off the virus

WHERE DOES IT TURN OUT TO BE A BIG PROBLEM????

Next phases : CONTAGIOUS PERIOD

o The problem lies in the dendritic cells

Influenza infection : “abortive” – viral protein produced to

trigger adaptive immune system, but LITTLE OR NO VIRUS is
made

Measles : “productive” infection – activated dendritic cells 

large production of virus

------ Different reproductive strategies

o Note : Dendritic cells have all “goodies” required for measles

virus to reproduce in its particular type - ---- not efficient for
influenza

o Infected dendritic cells -> produce virus + go to lymph node 

cells in lymph nodes are infected

o Lymph nodes = centers of virus production

o Virus  lymph ( fluid inside the lymphatic capillaries) +

bloodstream -> go throughout the body

o Measles virus have CD46 receptor on its surface

CD46 is ubiquitous in most cells in the body -  wide range of

cells to which it could bind

o Virus infects endothelial cells that line blood vessels – producing

giant multinucleated cells
 o Epithelial cells infected

Notes : Using infected dendritic cells as the “Trojan Horses” to carry virus into
lymph nodes – establish a system infection

After leaving the airway now virus gets back with a larger number – kills
large # of airway cells

Produce the virus – spread to others by sneezing +

coughing

Evasion Period
Note that the adaptive immune system is alerted at the beginning, and Memory T
cell already have specific receptors for measles virus - antibody can jump into the
fight now 

How can measles virus trick antibody? How can it change its specificity of antigens?

Mentioned earlier : Measles virus – RNA strand, replicating using error-prone RNA
polymerase

 Chances to make a great # of mutations