Friday, November 27, 2020

Penicillin allergies and immune system gene

    In this article I came across, I read that Penicillin is found to be extremely effective against the majority of bacterial infections. This is often the first-line antibiotic and is also one of the most common causes of drug allergies. The allergies are said to begin in childhood. People who report penicillin allergies can have a genetic variation on an immune system gene that helps the body distinguish between our own cells and other harmful bacteria and viruses. The genetic variation that can be discovered on someone's DNA, and until recently on a specific gene is known has HLA-B. This is a known gene to provide instructions for proteins that help determine and fight against foreign bodies. These genes play a critical role in the immune system. To me, it is interesting to see how certain medicines may affect certain people. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3255391/

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/penicillin-allergies-immune-system-genetics

2 comments:

  1. It is interesting to learn that penicillin is found to be effective against the majority of bacterial infections. I previously believed that it was only effective for a specific type of bacterial infection, targeted by that specific antibiotic.

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  2. This article caught my attention because several people in my family have an allergy to penicillin, and I was always curious as to why. It's also interesting to know that the genertic variation causes a stronger immune response. You would assume that could be helpful but not in this case where you can't use penicillin when you need to.

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