MicrobeWorld

Why did so many of the people who died from the new strain of H1N1 influenza that broke out in 2009 also get infected with pneumonia? The authors of a study in mBio this week found out how the two infections, pandemic flu and pneumonia, interact to make to make a lethal combination: infection with the pandemic strain of flu caused more extensive damage to the lung epithelium than seasonal flu. The damage requires more extensive tissue repair and opens the body up to attack from bacterial invaders like Streptococcus pneumoniae, one of the leading causes of pneumonia.
Click on the source link above to read more on mBio's blog, mBiosphere...