MRSA from smokers' lung may be more dangerous and resistant says research from University of California

Article contributed by Dr. Akilesh Ramasamy & Dr. A. J. Tamhankar

MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), a deadly resistant pathogen, can become deadlier when exposed to cigarette smoke, says Laura Alexander and her team, from University of California, San Diego School of Medicine based to their experimental study.

They exposed the bacteria to cigarette smoke extracts and found that MRSA, though engulfed by macrophages, was not effectively killed by the macrophages.

The first requirement of a pathogen to be able to cause a disease is the ability to adhere to tissues, because when they adhere to the tissues, they are able to then invade inside. The MRSA exposed to cigarette smoke extracts revealed better adherence capabilities which means they can stick to tissues more tenaciously and able to cause deadly infection. They were able to duplicate these findings on a mouse model as well. The MRSA exposed to cigarette smoke were also resistant to killing by antibiotic peptides.

Even though definitive study from humans is not available, it may be possible that MRSA infections / pathogens present in lungs of a smoker can be more deadlier and tenacious. This can have devastating effects as smoking is widely prevalent and even non smokers are often exposed to large quantities of second hand smoke.

Source: The New Indian Express

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