They exposed the blood samples to common germs like E. coli bacteria and the flu virus and measured the immune response. It had nearly the same impact on immune response as important factors such as age or sex. The innate immune response is the general way the skin, mucous membranes, immune system cells and proteins fights germs. The experiment was done in blood samples in the lab, but the immune system may react differently in real life. Those mice cleared a bacterial infection less efficiently and with a less-robust immune response than mice that weren’t exposed.

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Persons: they’ve, it’s, ”, Dr, Violaine, “, André, Darragh Duffy, “ It’s, ” Duffy, Duffy, Yasmin Thanavala, There’s, ” Thanavala, Sanjay Gupta, Albert Rizzo, we’ve, Rizzo Organizations: CNN, Nature, Institut Pasteur, Immunology, Roswell, Cancer Institute, Get CNN, CNN Health, American Medical Association Locations: United States, Paris