Too much of this bacteria in the nose can make allergy symptoms worse

A type of bacteria that is overabundant in the nasal passages of people with hay fever can make symptoms worse. Just what bacteria can provide a way to control the ever-running nose.

Fever occurs when allergens, such as pollen or mold, provoke inflammation in the nasal passages; to itching, sneezing and oozing mucus. The researchers analyzed the composition of the microbial population in the noses of 55 people who have hay fever and those 105 people who do not. There was less diversity in the nasal microbiome of people who had hay fever and a whole lot more bacterial species. Streptococcus salivariusteam online January 12 in Nature Microbiology.

St. salivarius It was 17 times more abundant in the noses of allergy sufferers than in noses without allergies, says Michael Otto, a molecular microbiologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md. That inequality seems to play a role in the further challenge. I will teach allergy. In laboratory experiments with allergen-exposed cells that make up the airways; St. salivarius boosted cellular production of proteins that promote inflammation.

And it happened that St. salivarius really wants to melt in the nose. One prominent, unpleasant symptom of hay fever is a runny nose. The investigators were caught St. salivarius it binds very well to allergen-exposed airway-lining cells and laced with mucus — better than comparable bacteria that also reside in the nose.

The familiar framework seems to be what makes the difference. This means substances St. salivary Surfaces that can repel inflammation — among many common bacteria — are close enough to the cellular effect, says Otto.

Hay fever, which disrupts daily activities and disrupts sleep, is estimated to affect as many as thirty percent of adults in the United States. The new research opens the door “to future studies targeting this bacteria” as a potential treatment for hay fever, says Mahboobeh Mahdavinia, a physician scientist who studies immunology and allergy at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

But any treatment is necessary to harm the “good” bacteria that live in the nose, says Mahdavinia, who was not involved in the research.

In protein on St. salivarius surfaces that are important for the ability to attach mucus-coated cells to provide a target, says Otto. Bacteria bind to proteins called mucins to form slimy, liquefied mucus. Learning about St. salivarius The surface of the protein, Otto says, can come up with “special methods that would block adhesion.”