Ronan Kelly
Retired 2020
Flu helps spread pneumonia and meningitis
11/04/2011
Pneumonia and meningitis are only able to spread when individuals are infected with the flu, according to new research.
The bacteria which causes both pneumonia and meningitis usually lives harmlessly in the nose. It is already known that if a person with the bacteria is infected with flu, the bacterium is more likely to spread to other parts of the body and could cause pneumonia or meningitis.
This new study shows that infection with the flu virus is also necessary to transmit the bacteria between people.
The flu virus under the microscope The researchers examined the flu virus in mice and found that the mice needed to have flu for the bacterium to spread amongst the group. The spread of the bacteria was prevented if any of the mice didn?t have flu.
The findings could help scientists manage the spread of these infections in the future, by targeting the flu virus.
http://www.european-lung-foundation.org/index.php?id=16477
Science News
Flu Helps Spread Pneumonia
ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2011
...
Streptococcus pneumoniae normally lives harmlessly in the nasal passage. Up to 80% of young children carry the bacterium in their nose. It is already known that if a colonized individual is infected with influenza virus, the bacterium is more likely to spread to other parts of the body and may cause potentially life-threatening infections such as pneumonia, sepsis or meningitis. Young children, the elderly and the immunocompromised are most vulnerable to these secondary bacterial infections. S. pneumoniae kills more than one million children under the age of five each year.
Dr Dimitri Diavatopoulos from the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in The Netherlands explains how infection with the flu virus is also necessary for transmitting S. pneumoniae between individuals. His work has shown that in infant mice, all mice had to be infected with flu for pneumococcal bacteria to efficiently spread between them. Blocking influenza infection in these mice effectively prevented the spread of the bacterium.
...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110410194707.htm
FASEB J. 2010 Jun;24(6):1789-98. Epub 2010 Jan 22.
Influenza A virus facilitates Streptococcus pneumoniae transmission and disease.
Diavatopoulos DA, Short KR, Price JT, Wilksch JJ, Brown LE, Briles DE, Strugnell RA, Wijburg OL.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. d.diavatopoulos@cukz.umcn.nl
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) kills approximately 1.6 million people annually. Pneumococcal infections predominantly manifest as pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, and otitis media. S. pneumoniae is also a member of the normal nasopharyngeal flora, colonizing up to 80% of children. Infection with influenza A virus (IAV) has been associated with both pneumococcal disease and transmission. However, to date no animal model has been available to investigate the role of IAV in the spread of S. pneumoniae. Here we investigate pneumococcal-influenza synergism with a particular focus on the role of IAV on pneumococcal transmission. Infant mice were colonized with S. pneumoniae and subsequently infected with IAV 3 d later. Using this novel model we show increased pneumococcal colonization and disease in the presence of IAV. Notably, in vivo imaging showed that IAV was essential for the transmission of S. pneumoniae from colonized ("index") mice to their naive cohoused littermates ("contacts"). Transmission occurred only when all mice were infected with IAV and was prevented when an IAV-neutralizing antibody was used to inhibit IAV replication in either index mice or contact mice. Together, these data provide novel insights into pneumococcal-influenza synergism and may indicate a previously unappreciated role of IAV in the spread of S. pneumoniae.
PMID: 20097876 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20097876
11/04/2011
Pneumonia and meningitis are only able to spread when individuals are infected with the flu, according to new research.
The bacteria which causes both pneumonia and meningitis usually lives harmlessly in the nose. It is already known that if a person with the bacteria is infected with flu, the bacterium is more likely to spread to other parts of the body and could cause pneumonia or meningitis.
This new study shows that infection with the flu virus is also necessary to transmit the bacteria between people.
The flu virus under the microscope The researchers examined the flu virus in mice and found that the mice needed to have flu for the bacterium to spread amongst the group. The spread of the bacteria was prevented if any of the mice didn?t have flu.
The findings could help scientists manage the spread of these infections in the future, by targeting the flu virus.
http://www.european-lung-foundation.org/index.php?id=16477
Science News
Flu Helps Spread Pneumonia
ScienceDaily (Apr. 10, 2011
...
Streptococcus pneumoniae normally lives harmlessly in the nasal passage. Up to 80% of young children carry the bacterium in their nose. It is already known that if a colonized individual is infected with influenza virus, the bacterium is more likely to spread to other parts of the body and may cause potentially life-threatening infections such as pneumonia, sepsis or meningitis. Young children, the elderly and the immunocompromised are most vulnerable to these secondary bacterial infections. S. pneumoniae kills more than one million children under the age of five each year.
Dr Dimitri Diavatopoulos from the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in The Netherlands explains how infection with the flu virus is also necessary for transmitting S. pneumoniae between individuals. His work has shown that in infant mice, all mice had to be infected with flu for pneumococcal bacteria to efficiently spread between them. Blocking influenza infection in these mice effectively prevented the spread of the bacterium.
...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110410194707.htm
FASEB J. 2010 Jun;24(6):1789-98. Epub 2010 Jan 22.
Influenza A virus facilitates Streptococcus pneumoniae transmission and disease.
Diavatopoulos DA, Short KR, Price JT, Wilksch JJ, Brown LE, Briles DE, Strugnell RA, Wijburg OL.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. d.diavatopoulos@cukz.umcn.nl
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) kills approximately 1.6 million people annually. Pneumococcal infections predominantly manifest as pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, and otitis media. S. pneumoniae is also a member of the normal nasopharyngeal flora, colonizing up to 80% of children. Infection with influenza A virus (IAV) has been associated with both pneumococcal disease and transmission. However, to date no animal model has been available to investigate the role of IAV in the spread of S. pneumoniae. Here we investigate pneumococcal-influenza synergism with a particular focus on the role of IAV on pneumococcal transmission. Infant mice were colonized with S. pneumoniae and subsequently infected with IAV 3 d later. Using this novel model we show increased pneumococcal colonization and disease in the presence of IAV. Notably, in vivo imaging showed that IAV was essential for the transmission of S. pneumoniae from colonized ("index") mice to their naive cohoused littermates ("contacts"). Transmission occurred only when all mice were infected with IAV and was prevented when an IAV-neutralizing antibody was used to inhibit IAV replication in either index mice or contact mice. Together, these data provide novel insights into pneumococcal-influenza synergism and may indicate a previously unappreciated role of IAV in the spread of S. pneumoniae.
PMID: 20097876 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20097876