Influenza patients with secondary methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections often die because the flu virus alters the immune response of white blood cells, causing them to damage the patients' lungs, instead of attack the bacteria, which can incite the development of severe pneumonia, according to a new study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.
For the study, researchers built upon previous work that discovered mice infected with influenza are susceptible MRSA infections due to the impaired ability of their macrophages and neutrophils to kill of the bacteria. The new research identified the disruption that occurs in the body's antibacterial immunity during influenza infection that drives white blood cells to attack the lungs in lieu of bacteria.
"Our results demonstrate that influenza infection disrupts the delicate balance between Nox2-dependent antibacterial immunity and inflammation," said Keer Sun, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. "This not only leads to increased susceptibility to MRSA infection but also extensive lung damage. Treatment strategies that target both bacteria and reactive oxygen species may significantly benefit patients with influenza-complicated MRSA pneumonia."
More than half of flu patients who develop pneumonia as the result of MRSA infection die.
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