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IMAGE: Associate professor in the Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine view more
Credit: University of Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 26, 2021 - The mechanism by which acute viral respiratory infections promote secondary bacterial growth and infection in the airways depends on iron-carrying extracellular sacs secreted by the cells lining the host s airways, report researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in a paper published today in
Cell Reports.
The sacs, or vesicles, which carry iron bound to a protein called transferrin, associate with bacterial cells and supply them with essential nutrients, promoting the growth of expansive bacterial communities. The finding gives us a glimpse into how bacteria exploit the host s defense system against pathogens and can offer a new way for creating therapies to prevent secondary bacterial infections in the clinical setting.