Posted on 01/22/2010 4:29:43 AM PST by decimon
San Diego, CA – Current research suggests that the flu may predispose to secondary bacterial infections, which account for a significant proportion of mortality during flu pandemics. The related report by Lee et al, "A mouse model of lethal synergism between influenza virus and Haemophilus influenzae," appears in the February 2010 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.
Influenza affects between three and five million people annually, causing up to 500,000 deaths worldwide. While most people will recover in one to two weeks, others will develop life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia or bronchitis. High-risk groups for seasonal influenza include the very young and old, people with compromised immune systems, and pregnant women. However, during influenza pandemics, mortality may be significant in previously healthy young adults.
A common complication of flu infection is a secondary "super-infection" by bacteria, which greatly increases the morbidity and mortality of the disease. The most common bacterial agents found following flu pandemics have been Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Group A Streptococcus, and Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, reports of infection with antibiotic-resistant strains have been increasing in recent years.
To explore the mechanisms governing the increased pathogenesis of flu upon super-infection, a group led by Dr. Sally R. Sarawar of the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, San Diego, California confirmed that otherwise nonlethal influenza and H. influenzae infections cause high mortality rates in mice when flu infection precedes H. influenzae infection. Their data confirm a restricted time period for this heightened susceptibility and highlight that excessive bacterial, and not viral, growth is associated with increased lethality. The fact that this increased mortality was observed in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent mice suggests that even normal healthy people are at increased risk for complications following bacterial super-infection.
Lee et al suggest that the "lethal synergy between influenza virus and the bacterial respiratory pathogen, H. influenzae, is mediated by innate immunity. They observed that severe damage to the airways was an early event in the co-infected mice, eventually leading to death. This underscores the need for early antiviral and antibiotic treatment to combat severe disease in human patients and highlights the importance of vaccination and effective hygiene measures to prevent secondary bacterial infections during influenza infection. This new model will be useful for further investigating the mechanisms underlying severe disease caused by the interaction between influenza virus and bacteria, which may have resulted in numerous deaths during influenza pandemics and continues to constitute a significant clinical problem in susceptible individuals." Currently ongoing studies suggest that this model may also be useful for identifying target molecules for the development of novel therapeutic agents and strategies.
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This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant AI59429 and by a grant from the Infectious Disease Science Center.
Lee LN, Dias P, Han D, Yoon S, Shea A, Zakharov V, Parham D, Sarawar SR: A mouse model of lethal synergism between influenza virus and Haemophilus influenzae. Am J Pathol 176: 800-811
For more information on Dr. Sally R. Sarawar, please contact Kim Novena at 858-597-3830 or knovena@tpims.org.
For press copies of the articles, please contact Dr. Angela Colmone at 301-634-7953 or acolmone@asip.org.
The American Journal of Pathology, official journal of the American Society for Investigative Pathology, seeks to publish high-quality, original papers on the cellular and molecular biology of disease. The editors accept manuscripts that advance basic and translational knowledge of the pathogenesis, classification, diagnosis, and mechanisms of disease, without preference for a specific analytic method. High priority is given to studies on human disease and relevant experimental models using cellular, molecular, animal, biological, chemical, and immunological approaches in conjunction with morphology.
Easy rider ping.
No shocker I think since very often your defense systems will become overtaxed by the flu leaving you open to a host of secondary ailments.
Ping , thanks decimon :)
Smokin’ Joe I pinged your list and some other freepers to a new article , thanks :)
This 1972 WHO paper http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2480894/ is the basis for suspicions sounded on this http://www.fightbackh1n1.com/2009/08/who-memos-1972-explains-how-to-turn.html website.
The fightbackh1n1 site lays out the argument that the various government’s mass immunization programs are merely a platform to reduce earth’s population by huge chunks and in a relatively short time span.
I can’t argue that point. Reducing earth’s population drastically is a basic tenet of the globalist organization’s mouthpiece, the UN.
What I find interesting is fightbackh1ni’s logo.
There is an increasing awareness by Christian researchers of a growing number of like minded organizations invested in the transformation of imperfect man to ‘man can be a god’.
This transformation is being sold as accomplishable(?) through genetic engineering by restructuring humanity’s double helix DNA into a triple helix similar to the model Linus Pauling envisioned before the double helix was accepted and embraced. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=triple-helix-designing-a-new-molecule
The triple helix logo seems to be popping up everywhere. Christian concern should be obvious. Who, or what, would be driven to sell mankind on an idea that we can be like a god?
How’s that first successful sale working out for mankind?
It doesn’t mention a time frame.
While sick? Days later? Weeks?
While sick? Days later? Weeks?
I don't know if there is a definite time frame but the second paragraph gives an idea. The bacterial infection would occur during the course of the viral infection but, for all I know, might remain asymptomatic for a time.
We know from other articles we have read, that some people who get a bad case of the flu can suffer permanent lung damage. If this is the case, people with lung damage are suspectible to lung infections. I would like to see a study on that - the details on those with permanent lung damage.
Thanks for the ping!
Bump.
I believe this completely. I had severe pneumonia to the point of starting to lose consciousness on day 4 of H1N1. Thank G-d for strong antibiotics, which helped me within 24 hours.
6 weeks later, I am still MUCH weaker and sometimes feel like I am coming down with something, an ill feeling that never develops into symptoms I could describe. I know someone else who ran a low grade fever for weeks after the flu left. It’s really a bad thing all around. I was quite healthy and fit before it hit.
I’ve rarely come down with a flu. I may get them but I’ll just get some cold symptoms so I won’t know what I have.
Thanks!
Ping.
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