Respiratory Immune Dysregulation Following Intestinal Infection
Abstract
Topic Area: Respiratory Health The human intestinal and respiratory tracts share a common mucosal immune system. Infections of the intestine (such as "traveler s diarrhea") and respiratory tract (such as the flu or pneumonia) are the two most common infections occurring in US military personnel. Very little is known of how an intestinal infection may affect the immunity and health of the respiratory tract. We hypothesize that an intestinal infection may "weaken" the mucosal immune system s ability to fight subsequent respiratory infections. In this study, we will give mice an intestinal infection and look at how the lung immune system changes during and after the intestinal infection. We will also look at how the intestinal infection affects the mouse response to pneumonia challenge and whether giving a probiotic or antibiotic during the intestinal infection changes this. This study is innovative in that there is very little research on how one type of infection may change the immune system s ability to respond to another type of infection. Most studies done in the past have focused on the effects of infection at one mucosal site, despite the fact that in reality, military personnel are potentially exposed to infectious challenges of multiple mucosal organs simultaneously or consecutively. If successful, these studies have the potential to help us determine whether (and how) intestinal infections affect the respiratory tract and whether intervening on intestinal infections could help prevent respiratory health problems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 07, 2017
- Source ID
- W81XWH1710109
Entities
People
- Daniel Leung
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Utah