Improved Immediate Inflammatory Response To Streptococcus Pneumonia In The Lungs Of Mice With Pulmonary Emphysema

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 23 May 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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This study examines the expression of toll-like receptors (TLC) on alveolar macrophages in mice and found that the immediate inflammatory response in the emphysematous lung was significantly enhanced in response to streptococcal infection and partly due to the increased expression of TLR of the mice.

Streptococcus pneumonia is one of the more virulent strains of bacteria that causes community-acquired-pneumonia; and is frequently encountered in many respiratory infections.

By assessing TLR expression and its immediate inflammatory response, the researchers seek to explain the mechanisms that influence COPD patient-susceptibility to bacterial infection.

"Enhanced immediate inflammatory response to Streptococcus pneumonia in the lungs of mice with pulmonary emphysema"
Yoshikane Tokairin, Yoko Shibata, Makoto Sata, Shuichi Abe, Noriaki Takabatake, Akira Igarashi, Tomomi Ishikawa, Sumito Inoue And Isao Kubota
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Respirology is a journal of international standing, publishing peer-reviewed articles of scientific excellence in clinical and experimental respiratory biology and disease and its related fields of research including thoracic surgery, internal medicine, immunology, intensive and critical care, epidemiology, cell and molecular biology, pathology, pharmacology and physiology.

Respirology