Kidney disease compromises survival of infection-fighting cells, study reveals

Fighting off infections when one has a chronic disease is a common problem, and during the COVID-19 pandemic that scenario often turned out to be dangerous and deadly. A new study led by Stony Brook Medicine demonstrates that advanced kidney disease compromises the survival of B cells, a type of infection-fighting white blood cell that produces antibodies to kill microbes, and thus significantly reduces the immune response to the influenza virus. The findings are published in Nature Communications.