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It is not yet clear why influenza infection increases the risk of bacterial pneumonia.
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But a new study published in the journal PNAS, conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, has revealed important findings that lead to the so-called absolute infection, which kills many people around the world every year, and can also help promote research on “Covid-19”.
The Spanish flu spread around the world from 1918 to 1920, and unlike many other epidemics, it disproportionately affected healthy young adults.
An important reason for this was the so-called superinfection caused by bacteria, especially pneumococci.
The flu is caused by a virus, but the most common cause of death is secondary bacterial pneumonia, not the influenza virus itself. Pneumococcal infection is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia and a major global cause of death. Prior infection with influenza virus leads to susceptibility to pneumococcal infection, but the mechanisms underlying this increased susceptibility are not fully understood.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute have now identified influenza-induced changes in the lower respiratory tract that affect the growth of pneumococci in the lungs.
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Using an animal model, researchers found that various nutrients and antioxidants, such as vitamin C and other cell-protective substances, naturally escape from the blood, creating an environment in the lungs that promotes growth of bacteria. The bacteria adapt to the inflammatory environment by increasing the production of the bacterial enzyme HtrA.
The results indicate that the presence of HtrA weakens the immune system and promotes bacterial growth in the respiratory tract infected with influenza. A deficiency in HtrA stops the growth of bacteria.
“It appears that the ability of pneumococci to grow in the lower respiratory tract during influenza infection depends on the nutrient-rich environment with their high levels of antioxidants that occur during influenza infection,” said the researcher. principal Birgitta Henrik Normmark, Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Tumors and Cell Biology at the Karolinska Institute. The viral infection, as well as the ability of bacteria to adapt to the environment, she added, “It protects itself from being eradicated by the immune system.”
The results provide valuable information on how bacteria adapt to their environment in the lungs, and they can be used to find new treatments for double infections between the influenza virus and pneumococcal bacteria.
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“HtrA is a protease enzyme that helps weaken the immune system and allows pneumococcal bacteria to enter the protective cell layer inside the airways,” explains lead researcher Vicky Sender, researcher at the Karolinska Institute. Lungs. “
It is still unclear whether “Covid-19” patients are also susceptible to such a secondary bacterial infection, but researchers believe similar mechanisms can be found in “Covid-19” patients with severe illnesses.
“Acute pneumonia, whatever the cause, is likely to lead to a leakage of nutrients and antioxidants, and to an environment that promotes bacterial growth,” says Professor Henrik Normmark.
Source: Science Daily
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