The gut microbiota plays a protective role in the host defence against pneumococcal pneumonia.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Pneumonia accounts for more deaths than any other infectious disease worldwide. The intestinal microbiota supports local mucosal immunity and is increasingly recognised as an important modulator of the systemic immune system. The precise role of the gut microbiota in bacterial pneumonia, however, is unknown. Here, we investigate the function of the gut microbiota in the host defence against Streptococcus pneumoniae infections.

Design

We depleted the gut microbiota in C57BL/6 mice and subsequently infected them intranasally with S. pneumoniae. We then performed survival and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiments and measured parameters of inflammation and alveolar macrophage whole-genome responses.

Results

We found that the gut microbiota protect

SUBMITTER: Schuijt TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4819612 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature