Virulence and Low-Fluid-Shear

Virulence and Low-Fluid-Shear
Andre Willers
14 May 2008

Synopsis:
A stagnant surrounding watery medium causes bacteria and viruses to switch on lethality genes .

Source:
Scientific American Dec 2007 p 16 “Deadly Orbits”

Discussion:
The article in SciAm arose out of experiments done on the Space Shuttle on the lethality of bacteria that spent some time in micro-gravity . Their lethality increased by at least a factor of three .

Similar results have been achieved by mimicking microgravity in low-speed centrifuges .

Bio-films starts forming , associated with the free-living state of bacteria .


Why does this happen ?
Evolutionary considerations:

Bacteria have quorum senses that count the number of other bacteria . If the organism has a large number of bacteria , lethality genes switch on . This is well known .

But who starts lethality first ?
There is a penalty in starting first while the host organism is still healthy . The immune response will eradicate a previously tolerated bacterium .

If the bacterium waits too long , it faces stiff competition from other bacteria .

Hence the stagnancy sensitivity . ( Low-Fluid-Shear to be fancy.)
If a cell or group of cells or pocket of liquid is stagnant , with no movement , the bacteria sensors detect it and interpret it as poor health and impending death .

In a typical “tragedy of the commons” response , the bacterial group with the first successful lethality response will get the most benefit out of plundering the organisms bodily resources .

This gets hardwired in by evolution in other organisms like fungi , viri , etc .

The doctors among you will recognize gangrene , bedsores , TB , etc.

Speech:
This is especially interesting . There is then a positive survival health aspect to speech.
The lungs are the most vulnerable to opportunistic infections . Speaking continuously causes a continuous Low-Fluid-Shear throughout the lungs and the heart .

Interventions :
There are four big pockets of potentially stagnant fluids in the human body :
The Intestines , the Lungs ,the Lymph glands and fats .

Exercise plus sufficient mechanical strength (Sulfur!) is sufficient for the intestines and the lungs , as they are massaged by muscles .

But the lymph system , and the lymph glands especially , needs massaging (read grooming ) . This is one of the main reasons why alpha-homonin are so ,well ,alpha . They are much freer from opportunistic infections .

One wonders whether the success of the matriarchy model has more to do the with this effect .

The evolution of menopause in human women is actually quite difficult to explain otherwise . Childbirth and rearing is very hazardous . We have discussed the fat-reserve requirements . The mortality rate amongst women were much higher than amongst men in primitive societies . Then why aren’t grandfathers longer lived ?
This is not an idle question

The answer seems to be females groomed each other more frequently . This lessening of opportunistic disease attacks , together with their higher reserves , led to grandmothers evolving .

Even today , rich females spend large resources on being groomed and massaged by other females .

Monogamy :
The poor persons’ mutual grooming society .
Each husband and wife should know at least the basics of lymph-massage and grooming . It is inherent in the basic marriage contract , but ignorance triumphs and they always look surprised when divorce strikes . Usually the parties are not even aware that their mutual dissatisfaction stems from real health considerations .

A vigorous sex-life in early marriage usually served to keep the old juices flowing . But as the fires die down , lymph accumulates and the organisms feel a general malaise as opportunistic infections switch on more and more frequently .

Mutual grooming is essential to monogamy .

And lymph-massage is an essential part of grooming .

Massages behind the ears , under the jaws , under the arm-pits , the groin and the lower calves should save many a marriage .

Temperature .
Temperature gradients is a sure way to increase fluid turbulence . Hence fevers , cold- and hot compresses . Spa’s . Roman baths .Frigidarium and caldarium .

Gravity .
A spell in a centrifuge (as used for astronaut training) should do wonders for opportunistic infections . Bungee jumping ?

A children’s whirly-go-round should do fine . The g-forces can be high enough to make you really cling on . One is tempted to say that the popularity of this playground apparatus is not the dizziness , but the freedom of opportunistic infections all children are prone to . Swings ditto . There is a steep gravity gradient , stirring things up .

This is a real , low cost alternative .

Gadgets .
Mechanical gadgets are available that shakes various parts of the body .
This is now used for fat loss . Upper-end machines operate at a high enough frequency to vibrate only the fatty layer . This obviously causes low-fluid-shear .

A more efficient use to prevent opportunistic infection would be to use a chirp apparatus . Pulses of varying frequencies .

Hand-held pulsators can be used for bedridden patients .

Immune depressed patients ( like HIV , AIDS)

Costs are a major factor . Use a playing-ground wheel

You should be able to prevent some opportunistic infections .

There is an interesting observation that monkeys can be immune . The only life-style difference with humans that has not been explored is g-force . Even a captive monkey bounces up-and-down , subjecting itself to much higher g-forces than humans . This has been disregarded , because nobody could think of a reason why this should matter. But if low-fluid-shear is a trigger mechanism for bacteria , it is certainly one for viruses and fungi as well (plasmids)

HIV could well be an opportunistic disease triggered by low-fluid-shear .

Is there an off-switch?
We know there is with most old opportunistic infections . While a young infection might go-for-broke every time it seems that the organism might die , an older one would go for it if decrepitude seems likely , but switch off lethality if the body seems able to handle the infection . The penalties for an unsuccessful insurrection involves extinction . We also know that all these buggers share this information . Both their strong and their weak point .

Thus , we can say with a reasonable degree of certainty that all opportunistic infections have a off-switch .

Gravity-gradients and coriolis-forces seem to be one such . They stir the cellular contents . Also the fluids outside the cell . Cell-docking becomes much more difficult for interlopers . This turbulence is part of the body’s defence mechanism .

Note that the older and more successful evolutionary orders like birds have a higher basal temperature . We can predict that human basal temperature will likewise rise if they survive a hundred million years .

Dancing
This must be the cheapest form of cure . Twirling round-and-round subjects the body to considerable g-stresses and coriolis forces .

Systematic :
Lying on a rotating platform (like a playground roundabout) will stir up your bodyfluids . About three times a week seems indicated . Who invented this contraption , in any case?

Auto-grooming
See http://andreswhy.blogspot.com “Combs”
Combs made auto-grooming of hair possible . But I am not aware of any civilization that practiced lymphatic auto-grooming . The closest I can think of are the Greeks . They used massage extensively (like the Romans , Chinese , Japanese ,etc) . Some Chinese societies (like the warrior monks) might have practiced it , but did not survive since they had no children .

Lymphatic auto-grooming seems rather an orphan . Which seems strange , until you remember that it competes directly with two systems(matriarchal and monogamy) that guarantees offspring . It dies on vine due to ignorance . Organizations that keep records (like the Roman Catholic Church or Budhism) and recruits from the families do not want a competitor . (They buy their grooming)

Mk IV humans
Low-birthrate humans and weak-aspergers need such a system .

Andre