Gut Microbes Influence Defences Against Influenza

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http://www.virology.ws/2011/09/06/gut-microbes-influence-defense-against-influenza/

How might gut bacteria be important for immune responses to a lung infection? When influenza virus infects the lung, development of immune defenses depend upon a complex of several proteins called the inflammasome. This structure is needed for the production of cytokines that promote adaptive immune defenses: antibodies and T cells. These cytokines are also needed for the activity of dendritic cells, sentinels that sense a virus infection, and travel to the nearby lymph nodes to inform T cells that there is a problem.

If you are wondering about the practical consequences of these findings, read the last paragraph of the paper:

Because antibiotic use is prevalent in the treatment of respiratory infections, our results imply a possible deleterious effect of such treatment in initiating proper immune responses to influenza virus. Conversely, it will be important to determine whether probiotic therapy can be explored for immune-stimulating effects during the flu season.

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