May 4, 2024

Scientists Thought a Bacteria Was Harmless – They Were Wrong

Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Biochemical Genetics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, St. Jamess Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Clinical Biochemistry Unit, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital, Medical School, Dundee, Scotland.
Department of Otolaryngology, Infectious Disease Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore.
Department of Critical and respiratory Care Medicine, Changi General Hospital, Singapore.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Department of Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, Hunter Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, John Hunter Hospital, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia.
Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, Australia.
School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

” Trends in Bronchiectasis Among Medicare Beneficiaries in the United States, 2000 to 2007″ by Amy E. Seitz, MPH; Kenneth N. Olivier, MD, MPH; Jennifer Adjemian, PhD; Steven M. Holland, MD and D. Rebecca Prevots, PhD, MPH, 1 August 2012, Chest Journal.DOI: 10.1378/ chest.11-2209.
” Epidemiology and financial concern of bronchiectasis needing hospitalisation in Singapore” by Hwee Pin Phua, Wei-Yen Lim, Ganga Ganesan, Joanne Yoong, Kelvin Bryan Tan, John Arputhan Abisheganaden and Albert Yick Hou Lim, 12 August 2021, ERJ Open Research.DOI: 10.1183/ 23120541.00334-2021.
” Geographic variation in the aetiology, epidemiology and microbiology of bronchiectasis” by Ravishankar Chandrasekaran, Micheál Mac Aogáin, James D. Chalmers, Stuart J. Elborn and Sanjay H. Chotirmall, 22 May 2018, BMC Pulmonary Medicine.DOI: 10.1186/ s12890-018-0638-0.

Scientists have actually discovered that a kind of germs is not as safe as formerly believed. It can actually trigger infections in clients with bronchiectasis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary illness (COPD).
A worldwide research study led by Singapore researchers finds bacteria previously believed safe can intensify existing lung illness.
A team of international researchers has discovered that Neisseria– a genus of germs that resides in the body– is not as harmless as formerly thought. It can cause infections in clients with bronchiectasis, asthma, and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD).
In a landmark study, published on September 14, 2022, in Cell Host & & Microbe, the team revealed definitive evidence that Neisseria species can cause disease in the lung and are linked to worsening bronchiectasis (a type of lung disease) in patients. The researchers were led by the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore).

Annex.
List of working together organizations.

Bronchiectasis is a long-lasting condition where the respiratory tracts of the lungs end up being abnormally bigger for unidentified reasons in up to 50 percent of Singaporean clients. In Singapore, research at Tan Tock Seng Hospital described 420 incident hospitalized bronchiectasis patients in 2017. Imagined is a detection of Neisseria (N. subflava) in lung tissue from clients with bronchiectasis.” This discovery is substantial due to the fact that it can alter how we treat our bronchiectasis patients with this germs. Co-author, Professor Wang De Yun from the Department of Otolaryngology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, said, “It is motivating to see that we have actually made headway in identifying the Neisseria bacteria types as the cause of getting worse bronchiectasis, the unlikely culprit that was originally not considered to be a risk.

Bronchiectasis is a long-lasting condition where the respiratory tracts of the lungs become abnormally bigger for unidentified reasons in up to 50 percent of Singaporean clients. The disease is up to four times more prevalent amongst Asians as compared to their Western counterparts and can likewise happen following recovery from tuberculosis. In Singapore, research at Tan Tock Seng Hospital described 420 occurrence hospitalized bronchiectasis clients in 2017.
Regardless of its frequency among older people, no obvious cause is found most of the times of bronchiectasis and the condition tends to develop spontaneously and without caution. [3] To unwind the puzzle of why bronchiectasis gets worse at a significantly higher rate amongst older Asian clients, the international group– spanning researchers and health centers in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia, and the UK (see Annex)– led by LKCMedicine Associate Professor Sanjay Chotirmall, Provosts Chair in Molecular Medicine, matched illness and infection information from 225 patients with bronchiectasis of Asian (Singapore and Malaysia) origin to those from bronchiectasis clients in Europe.
Neisseria: not so safe
While Neisseria species are well known to trigger meningitis and gonorrhea, they are not understood to infect the lungs. Through comprehensive recognition and careful characterization, the research group discovered that Neisseria controlled the microbiome of Asian clients with getting worse bronchiectasis.
Specifically, bronchiectasis clients with primary amounts of a subgroup of Neisseria called Neisseria subflava (N. subflava), experienced more severe illness and repeated infections (exacerbations) when compared to clients with bronchiectasis without such high amounts of Neisseria.
Upon more examination utilizing experimental cell and animal models, the research study group validated that N. subflava triggers cell disturbance, resulting in inflammation and immune dysfunction in bronchiectasis clients with this germs.
Imagined is a detection of Neisseria (N. subflava) in lung tissue from clients with bronchiectasis. Revealed in red is the N. subflava detection and revealed in blue is the air passage cell nuclei. Credit: Cell Host & & Microbe
Prior to this discovery, Neisseria was not thought about to be a cause of lung infection or severe disease in bronchiectasis clients.
” This discovery is considerable because it can change how we treat our bronchiectasis clients with this bacterium. Physicians will now need to believe about Neisseria as a possible offender in patients who are getting worse despite treatment, and to carry out tests to identify those who may be harboring this type of bacteria in their lungs.
This study shows NTUs efforts under NTU2025, the Universitys five-year strategic strategy that addresses humanitys grand obstacles such as human health. Conducted by worldwide scientists from across numerous disciplines, the study likewise highlights NTUs strength and concentrate on interdisciplinary research.
Wider relevance of Neisseria Aside from connecting Neisseria and severe bronchiectasis, the NTU-led research study group likewise found the existence of the very same germs in other more typical chronic breathing conditions such as severe asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)– a condition that triggers airflow blockage and breathing-related issues.
Utilizing next-generation sequencing technologies, the team also looked for to investigate where this germs might originate from and sampled the homes of bronchiectasis patients with high quantities of Neisseria in their lungs. The researchers found the existence of the bacteria in the house environment, suggesting that the indoor home and possibly the tropical climate may favor the existence of this germs in the Asian setting.
What is Neisseria?
The Neisseria germs species have actually been typically identified as the cause of sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea however likewise seriously meningitis– a swelling of the fluid and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Its sub-species N. subflava, nevertheless, is understood to be discovered in the oral mucosa, throat, and upper respiratory tract of people previously without any known link to lung infections.
This household of germs has always been believed of as harmless to human beings, and infections caused by them have not been described– previously.
Co-author, Professor Wang De Yun from the Department of Otolaryngology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, stated, “It is motivating to see that we have advanced in identifying the Neisseria germs species as the reason for getting worse bronchiectasis, the unlikely culprit that was initially ruled out to be a danger. This comes as a strong reminder that we must not be too complacent when it comes to studying and exercise more proactiveness in exploring numerous possibilities, as every relatively innocent aspect might be a source of risk to our bodies and total health.” Co-author Andrew Tan, Associate Professor of Metabolic Disorders from LKCMedicine, said, “The reverse translational technique embraced in this work was important to our success. Beginning with the bedside where we studied real‐life client experiences, we then worked backward to uncover the biological procedure of the germs. Thanks to the interdisciplinary nature of the study, the group was able to communicate with members from different research study disciplines, offering a pleasurable experience while getting unique insights into the disease.” The scientists are now seeking to perform more studies and scientific trials of Neisseria eradication from the microbiome through the newly released LKCMedicine Centre for Microbiome Medicine, which is seeking to assess the advantages of treating and targeting Neisseria with prescription antibiotics in the beginning detection, with the hope that this will cause much better medical results for clients with chronic breathing conditions.
Reference: “Neisseria types as pathobionts in bronchiectasis” by Liang Li, Micheál Mac Aogáin, Tengfei Xu, Tavleen Kaur Jaggi, Louisa L.Y. Chan, Jing Qu, Lan Wei, Shumin Liao, Hong Sheng Cheng, Holly R. Keir, Alison J. Dicker, Kai Sen Tan, Wang De Yun, Mariko Siyue Koh, Thun How Ong, Albert Yick Hou Lim, John A. Abisheganaden, Teck Boon Low, Tidi Maharani Hassan, Xiang Long, Peter A.B. Wark, Brian Oliver, Daniela I. Drautz-Moses, Stephan C. Schuster, Nguan Soon Tan, Mingliang Fang, James D. Chalmers and Sanjay H. Chotirmall, 14 September 2022, Cell Host & & Microbe.DOI: 10.1016/ j.chom.2022.08.005.
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