Respiratory microbiome and susceptibility to flu

Influenza virus, the causative agent of flu, primarily targets the respiratory tract and infects epithelial cells here. The epithelial cells of the nose and throat are enveloped by complex bacterial communities, leading Foxman and colleagues to hypothesize that this respiratory microbiome might interact with the virus – and could play a role in the body’s defences against flu.

In this study, 144 Nicaraguan households with a member identified as having influenza were enrolled between 2012 and 2014 and all household adults and children monitored for up to two weeks. Study staff visited each household five times, sampling the respiratory microbiomes of all household members as well as testing for influenza infection; participants also kept symptom diaries. Using statistical modeling, the authors were able to categorize each participant’s respiratory microbiome into one of five distinct community types at every visit, though approximately half of participants underwent changes in microbiome type between study visits. The authors could then compare participants’ microbiome types to the likelihood of their contracting flu.

Source: Respiratory microbiome may influence your susceptibility to flu