I am not a doctor of any sort, but I get immuno-therapy for allergy shots
and I believe I understand how it works.  If anyone out there knows I am
wrong, please correct me!
 
>I thought repeated exposure to the disease following vaccination would
>*activate* the immune system to produce *more* antibodies against
>distemper, not just use up the ones that were produced from the vaccination
>at the vets.  Or is this a 'it depends' situation-as in it depends on how
>much exposure they got?
>-Ilena Ayala
 
With standard immune therapy, you give increasingly higher doses to build
up the antibodies in the system.  As an analogy... 1st shot may cause 1
antibody.  Second higher dose shot may cause2 antibodies and so on until
the maintenance dose causing 100 antibodies is achieved.
 
This is held for a LONG time (3-5 years) until the body learns to
continuously produce 100 antibodies and you will no longer have a reaction.
You no longer have a reaction because normal infections that stimulate the
immune system to respond may only be on the level of 25 antibodies.  Since
you already have 100, your immune system does not have to respond and you
don't have the symptoms, even though you are fighting the infection.
 
For vaccinations, you do it slightly differently.  You give a shot that
automatically produces 100 antibodies.  So, you go from 0 to 100 right
away.  But, since you are not continuously infected, it produces no more
and the antibodies eventually die and you need a booster.  Vaccines don't
prevent you from getting infected, they just make it not necessary to cause
the immune system to react and you don't get the deadly symptoms of the
infection.  You still fight it off, just don't know it.
 
In other words, you have 100 antibodies, but the infection for which you
got the vaccine may only stimulate the body to produce 25.  So, if you get
infected (or you ferret for distemper) then the body says, "Ok, I need 25
antibodies, I have 100, so I do not have to produce more.  " You have 75
left.  And your vaccination is weaker.  Continuosly get infected (in this
scenario 3 more times), Each time, you have the necessary 25 antibodies
so your body doesn't produce more.  Eventually, your body has no more
antibodies, another infection occurs.  It builds up the 25 antibodies
necessary and the immune system goes into full overload to fight the
infection, you get the horrible symptoms because your entire immune system
is responding, and in the case of distemper, your ferret dies before he/she
can fully fight the infection.
 
Could you slowly build up distemper immunity so that you would always have
the "100" antibodies?  Yes, but it would require more shots and longer
time.  Currently, I get 2 shots twice a week until reach the maintenance
dose, then get shots either once a month or twice a month depending on the
season.  I have to do this for 3 - 5 years with a 99% chance of getting
cured of the allergies I am getting treated for.  I would not want to do
that to my baby.  One shot a year is enough!
 
Hope this helps!
paige
[Posted in FML issue 2524]