Bacterium in the attack of pneumonia using a bleach

Research shows that bacteria use hydrogen peroxide to weaken the immune system and cause pneumonia. This according to a study conducted at the University of Umeå and at the University of Stockholm, Sweden. Hydrogen Peroxide is also known as a bleaching agent used to whiten teeth or hair, as stain remover, as well as to clean surfaces and disinfect wounds.

"By using hydrogen peroxide to defeat the immune system, one could say that bacteria fight fire by fire." The body itself also produces hydrogen peroxide as a defense against bacteria. So it was surprising to see that many types of bacteria use the same substance to defeat your body's defenses, "says Nelson Gekara, head of research.

Saskia Erttmann and Nelson Gekara focused their studies primarily on Streptococcus pneumoniae. This bacterium, often called pneumococcus, is the bacterium most often causing pneumonia, but can also cause, among other diseases, meningitis or severe sepsis. In addition, this bacterium can open the way for other microbes. This makes the bacteria one of the deadliest in the world. Many people harbor the bacteria in the upper respiratory tract as part of their normal flora without getting sick or even aware of it. It is therefore important to understand how pneumococci affect the immune system.

The ultimate goal of any invading microbe is to reside peacefully in the body without causing a strong inflammatory reaction. The researchers found that pneumococcus and other bacteria do this by targeting a key component of the immune system, namely inflammations and protein complexes, which, by recognizing foreign molecules, initiate reactions that kill microbes. and clean the sick cells. The researchers found that bacteria such as pneumococci release large amounts of hydrogen peroxide, causing inactivation of inflammation and thus weakening the immune system.

In mouse models, the researchers observed that the bacteria engineered to produce less hydrogen peroxide were unable to inactivate inflammasomes and thus caused a faster inflammatory response that effectively eliminated the bacteria from the mouse lungs. . The researchers also found that by inoculating mice with a special enzyme, catalase, which breaks down hydrogen peroxide, inflammation and inflammatory symptoms increased, leading to faster elimination of pneumococci from the lungs. lung.

"The inflammation often has negative connotations.However, for the body, inflammation is an important process in defense of the immune system against microbes.Most microbes produce hydrogen peroxide at Our studies show that hydrogen peroxide is an inhibitor of an important component of the inflammatory machinery, suggesting that the mechanism we have discovered is a common strategy used by many microbes to thrive in we, "said Saskia Erttmann, first author of the study and former member of Nelson Gekara's research group.

"One of the most well-known substances, able to neutralize hydrogen peroxide and therefore able to enhance anti-bacterial immunity, are vitamins such as vitamin C, present in fruits. -being the old adage "an apple a day keeps the doctor out of the mark," adds Nelson Gekara.