A New Flu Concern: Secondary Bacterial Infections Cause Mortality to Rise

New research published in The American Journal of Pathology revealed that bacterial infections that ride on the coattails of the flu virus can cause increased mortality even in normal, healthy adults during influenza pandemics.

It was already known that secondary bacterial infections with the influenza virus can cause increased morbidity and mortality in young children, the elderly and people who are immunocompromised, but the study found that the flu virus can leave otherwise healthy people open to infections as well.

The study, performed at the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, was conducted on mice and found that lethality was dependent upon the interval between the administration of the virus and the bacteria. Bacterial growth was prolonged in the lungs of mice who were exposed to both the virus and bacteria.

The most common bacterial infections following a flu outbreak include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Group A Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus.