Streptococcus pneumoniae Colonization Disrupts the Microbial Community within the Upper Respiratory Tract of Aging Mice.

ABSTRACT: Nasopharyngeal colonization by the Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumonia is a prerequisite for pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal diseases. Colonization is asymptomatic, involving dynamic and complex interplay between commensals, the host immune system, and environmental factors. The elderly are at an increased risk of developing pneumonia, which might be due to changes in the respiratory microbiota that would impact bacterial colonization and persistence within this niche. We hypothesized that the composition of the upper respiratory tract (URT) microbiota changes with age and subsequently can contribute to sustained colonization and inefficient clearance of S. pneumoniae To test this, we used a mouse model of pneumococcal colonization to compare the composition of the URT micr

SUBMITTER: Thevaranjan N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4807479 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature