Mass Effect science: Quarians don't actually have a weak immune system?

[The Extreme Potato]

(Note: this is going off stuff I learned in A-Level biology and the fact that Quarians have a mammalian immune system, so this may be wrong)

So I was playing through Mass Effect 2 again last night and I got to the bit where Tali talks to Shepard about the Quarian immune system and how it would be difficult for them to be together Tali romance FTW . Listening to it again I've come to realise that the Quarians don't actually have a weak immune system...

First off I'll start with non dextro germs. Tali states that "what we experience is an acute allergic reaction" during a conversation with Shepard after her loyalty mission. This actually reveals alot about the Quarian's immune system because an allergic reaction is actually the body's immune system overreacting to a stimuli, producing the harmful allergic response. This means that, whenever a non dextro bacteria infects a Quarians, their immune system goes into overdrive to fight it, meaning it's not a weak immune system that makes Quarians seceptible to non dextro diseases, but an immune system that is actually too stong.

As for dextro based disease, this is simply solved by the fact that they have vaccinations when they are young. See, a vaccination is a dead or weakened version on the disease which the body kills, gaining immunity to that disease. How this works is that each disease has it's own unique "antigen" that is a unique to each type of diease. The body produces antibodies which bind to these antigens, locking down the pathogen (forgein substance in the body) and bind them together to be removed. By injecting someone with a weakened or dead version of the disease, you are allowing the body to learn these new antigens and thus remember the counter part antibodies for later on, meaning when the actual disease shows up the body can quickly dispose of it using the appropriate antibodies before it does any damage. This, coupled with the Quarian immune system's adaptibility means that by vaccinating their young, Quarians have essentially given them immunity to multiple dextro diseases for life. I don't know about you guys, but in my books immunity to multiple disease is the opposite of a weak immune system.

So in reality, the Quarians are literally wearing those suits for no reason. They already have immunity to multiple dextro diseases and their system's adaptbility means that if the disease mutates then their system can adapt to the change. As for the allergic reaction to non-dextro disease, that can easily be solved by antihistamines, decongestants, and hydrocortisone creams which we use to fight allergic reactions today.

[Dreadnought]

would be nice to know if the person who wrote quarian's immune sistem had any degree in biology

[Tirigon]

Vaccinations don't work for quarians. See, the quarians don't actually HAVE antibodies or anything like that.

It is explained rather detailed: Quarians didn't evolve immune systems because, on Rannoch, there were no harmful bacteria or viruses, but symbiotic ones. Having something that fights them - aka an immune system - would not have been helpful but harmful to the quarians.

This worked perfectly on Rannoch - trouble is, that on other planets there ARE harmful diseases, and the quarians were simply not prepared for them .

[BloodyMares]

Originally posted by Tirigon, the darkest soul:

Vaccinations don't work for quarians. See, the quarians don't actually HAVE antibodies or anything like that.

It is explained rather detailed: Quarians didn't evolve immune systems because, on Rannoch, there were no harmful bacteria or viruses, but symbiotic ones. Having something that fights them - aka an immune system - would not have been helpful but harmful to the quarians.

This worked perfectly on Rannoch - trouble is, that on other planets there ARE harmful diseases, and the quarians were simply not prepared for them .

Woah, were did you find that info? Because as I remember, their immune systems weakened because Geth drove them into exile and they spent too much time in the sterile environment of Flotilla. That was in ME1 codex it seems. Or Tali said that in ME1 or 2. Did they retcon it in 3?

[Tirigon]

Unfortunately I don't quite remember anymore. It was something Tali says, I think in 2, but could also be one of the others.

But it's true, they also talk about how the sterile environment weakened them.... it's a bit contradicting itself.

[SwobyJ]

It was already weak on Rannoch, aka only that planet would have been easily suitable for them, but attempts to colonize other planets used to happen.

Then the fleet life took them the rest of the way.

Vaccinations help a lot and the Quarians are not little weaklings. But they do not have the systems to take in all sorts of potential dangers. They need the suits until they can live somewhere that taking off their suits for an extended amount of time, while still exposing them to some dangers, is safe. Technically a super controlled environment could do that for them, but it would have to have all the complexity of, well, a place like Rannoch. And while maybe this might be possibleee.... I think they'd rather just take Rannoch back.

[Division By Zero]

Actually, the original post is right.

In humans, most allergies are due to IgE antibodies and other immune signaling. If you have no immune system, you can't produce antibodies/histamines and you can't have allergies.

If you grow up on a planet where most bacteria are helpful, this could actually confer limited immunity through competitive inhibition. In particular, the symbiotic bacteria "crowd out" pathogens - eating the same food, or even producing toxins that inhibit harmful bacteria.

[Tirigon]

Originally posted by Division By Zero:

Actually, the original post is right.

In humans, most allergies are due to IgE antibodies and other immune signaling. If you have no immune system, you can't produce antibodies/histamines and you can't have allergies.

If you grow up on a planet where most bacteria are helpful, this could actually confer limited immunity through competitive inhibition. In particular, the symbiotic bacteria "crowd out" pathogens - eating the same food, or even producing toxins that inhibit harmful bacteria.

But separated from Rannoch there are no symbiotic bacteria anymore. That's kind of their problem.

[Xautos]

Originally posted by Division By Zero:

Actually, the original post is right.

In humans, most allergies are due to IgE antibodies and other immune signaling. If you have no immune system, you can't produce antibodies/histamines and you can't have allergies.

If you grow up on a planet where most bacteria are helpful, this could actually confer limited immunity through competitive inhibition. In particular, the symbiotic bacteria "crowd out" pathogens - eating the same food, or even producing toxins that inhibit harmful bacteria.

what you fail to carry over is that your arguement is based on human biology from a human thinking point.

quarians live in an encounter suit all their lives is just because their immune system is so weak, rannoch was enough for the quarians but outside this because their bodies can not stand foreign germs getting into their bodies because their immune system reacts in ways that could be considered uncontrolled outside what their immune system was designed for. any rip in a suit or foreign bacteria could be lethal to a quarian.

consider this, what if the immune system is attacking the body instead of the bacteria, what if the immune system isn't reacting to the foreign bacteria but the reaction to the quarian's own body and the immune system detects this and starts attacking the body?

it was never stated how a quarian dies from contamination. also in tali's case when you do make her an LI, she needs a lot of heavy prep and shep needs to be starlized in order to be with tali as the animo elactricy makes any intimate contact a deadly business.

[Dreadnought]

Originally posted by Xautos:

Originally posted by Division By Zero:

Actually, the original post is right.

In humans, most allergies are due to IgE antibodies and other immune signaling. If you have no immune system, you can't produce antibodies/histamines and you can't have allergies.

If you grow up on a planet where most bacteria are helpful, this could actually confer limited immunity through competitive inhibition. In particular, the symbiotic bacteria "crowd out" pathogens - eating the same food, or even producing toxins that inhibit harmful bacteria.

what you fail to carry over is that your arguement is based on human biology from a human thinking point.

quarians live in an encounter suit all their lives is just because their immune system is so weak, rannoch was enough for the quarians but outside this because their bodies can not stand foreign germs getting into their bodies because their immune system reacts in ways that could be considered uncontrolled outside what their immune system was designed for. any rip in a suit or foreign bacteria could be lethal to a quarian.

consider this, what if the immune system is attacking the body instead of the bacteria, what if the immune system isn't reacting to the foreign bacteria but the reaction to the quarian's own body and the immune system detects this and starts attacking the body?

it was never stated how a quarian dies from contamination. also in tali's case when you do make her an LI, she needs a lot of heavy prep and shep needs to be starlized in order to be with tali as the animo elactricy makes any intimate contact a deadly business.

dont forget to visit Mordin after that!