Study among first to show drugs targeting the lung, rather than bacteria, may prevent staph infection in flu patients (Ivacaftor)

Medical Xpress / The Mount Sinai Hospital / Journal of Clinical Investigation ^ | Aug. 15, 2023 | Stephanie Tang et al

[ConservativeMind]

Influenza infection (flu) is a major cause of death around the world. People who die of the flu often have a secondary lung infection with Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria that starts a few days after flu infection begins. A team studied how the flu paves the way for staph infection in the lungs. The researchers found that healthy lungs secrete liquid into their air sacs that prevents a staph infection. The flu blocks this liquid secretion by inhibiting a protein called CFTR, making it possible for staph that are inhaled into the air sacs to stick to the air sac walls, initiate infection, and damage the lungs. Treatment with a CFTR-activating drug, such as ivacaftor, restores liquid secretion in air sacs of the flu-infected lungs and restores the air sacs' natural protection against staph infection.

Researchers say these findings support trials that test whether ivacaftor can prevent secondary staph infection in people with the flu, which is highly feasible since the medication is already in clinical use for both children and adults.

Jaime Hook, MD said, "The combination of flu and staph infections in the lungs is deadly. Antibiotics don't always resolve the staph infection because they might be started after the infection is already severe and it's too late to treat it, or because the antibiotics don't work. Our work shows how drugs that target the lung—rather than the bacteria—might treat staph infection in flu-infected lungs. We think that drugs that activate the CFTR protein, like ivacaftor, rescue a critical lung defense mechanism in flu-infected lungs to restore the lung's natural protection against staph infection. In this way, giving CFTR activator drugs to people with the flu who are at risk for a secondary staph infection might prevent staph infection from initiating, thereby preventing death from flu-staph coinfection."

[ConservativeMind]

Ivacaftor is available today, but would be administered at the hospital.

[ConservativeMind]

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[MarMema]

That’s very cool!