According to a recent study, it is these bacteria that worsen respiratory infections such as asthma and the body’s immune response.

It’s called Haemophilus influenzae infection and according to a recent study conducted UQ School of Chemical and Molecular Biosciences, This is a bacterium that plays a rather important role in the aggravation of respiratory tract infections.

Typically, it is located in nasopharynx healthy people, but under certain circumstances can become pathogenic and cause diseases, especially of the respiratory system. In addition to worsening the condition of patients with fCystic fibrosis, asthma, older people and indigenous peoples.

What he does is manipulate the immune system during respiratory infections and cause persistent disease.

“These bacteria are particularly harmful to vulnerable groups such as people with cystic fibrosis, asthma, the elderly and indigenous people,” says the professor. Ulrike Kappler from UQ’s School of Chemical and Molecular Biosciences on the portal Infosalus He adds that “in some conditions, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, they can significantly worsen symptoms.”

Rapid production of inflammation makers

The research work was based on the development laboratory culture which resembled the surface of the human respiratory tract, and then tracked changes in gene expression over the course of a fourteen-day “infection.”

And they found that: “the bacteria persist, essentially shutting down the body’s immune responses, causing a state of tolerance in the human respiratory tissues.”

So they found very limited production of inflammatory molecules over time, but it will take several hours after the bacteria infect human cells.

“We then used live and dead Haemophilus influenzae, showing that the dead bacteria caused rapid production of inflammatory pathogens, while the live bacteria prevented this,” Professor Kappler continues. “This showed that the bacteria can actively reduce the human immune response,” he concludes.

Respiratory diseases caused by Haemophilus influenzae.

There are several types Haemophilus influenzae infection, The best known of these is type b (Hib), which is the most virulent and causes serious infections such as meningitis It is an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Another disease that occurs as a result of the penetration of this bacterium is inflammation of the epiglottis which blocks the airways and causes difficulty breathing. Similarly, a person infected Haemophilus influenzae infection You can get an infection in your lungs because of pneumonia.

Other diseases such as sepsis, a widespread infection that spreads through the bloodstream or cellulite facial care It is an infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, invasive and “potentially serious”, which most often affects children under 2 years of age, since this is an immunologically susceptible population, there are also diseases caused by this bacterium.