A new study turns the well established theory that antibodies are required for antiviral immunity upside down and reveals that an unexpected partnership between the specific and non-specific divisions of the immune system is critical for fighting some types of viral infections.
The immune system has two main branches, innate immunity [non-specific] and adaptive immunity [specific].
[A]daptive immunity, which [uses] antibody-producing B cells as part of its arsenal, is thought to play a major role in the specific response to viral infections in mammals.
[A]lthough the B cells themselves were essential, survival after [vesicular stomatitis virus / VSV] exposure did not require antibodies or other aspects of traditional adaptive immunity.
B cells produced a chemical needed to maintain innate immune cells called macrophages.
Our findings contradict the current view that antibodies are absolutely required to survive infection with viruses like VSV, and establish an unexpected function for B cells as custodians of macrophages in antiviral immunity…