Common lung bacteria team up to evade immune defenses
A new study has uncovered how co-infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium abscessus, two common lung pathogens, can suppress immune responses and worsen outcomes in patients with respiratory diseases
2025-05-08
(Press-News.org)
The incidence of infection by Mycobacterium abscessus, is increasing in patients with cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other chronic pulmonary diseases, leading to an accelerated lung function decline. Remarkably, 58–78% of patients with M. abscessus infection are also infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the most common pathogen in these conditions. However, how these two bacterial species interact during infection remains poorly understood.
Now, a new study led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) has uncovered how co-infection by these two common lung pathogens can suppress immune responses and worsen outcomes in patients with respiratory diseases.
Using a combination of in vitro experiments on human bronchial cells and in vivo studies in insect models, the researchers demonstrated that when these two bacteria infect the body at the same time, the immune system becomes less effective at responding. The findings, published today in the journal Virulence, provide new insight into why polymicrobial infections are particularly difficult to treat and may lead to more severe disease.
"We found that M. abscessus and P. aeruginosa mutually inhibit the progression of single biofilms to form stable mixed biofilms". Says Eduard Torrents, principal investigator of the Bacterial infections: antimicrobial therapies group at IBEC, Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona (UB), ICREA Academia member and author of the study. Biofilms are communities of bacteria that cluster together and secrete a protective matrix, which acts as a shield against antibiotics and the host immune system, making them a common cause of chronic infections.
"While each of these pathogens is dangerous on its own, their combined effect creates an environment in which the immune system is less able to respond". Adds Esther Julián, full professor of Microbiology at UAB, and author of the study. The results showed that the presence of both bacteria together led to a significant reduction in the production of key immune signalling molecules, effectively dampening the body's inflammatory response.
Coinfections may drive disease progression
Experiments conducted revealed that P. aeruginosa, when acting alone, triggers a strong immune response. This includes the overexpression of proinflammatory molecules and the activation of host defence mechanisms. However, when P. aeruginosa is present alongside M. abscessus, this immune response is significantly suppressed, suggesting an immunosuppressive effect driven by co-infection. These results were consistent across two bronchial epithelial cell lines and were also confirmed using Galleria mellonella larvae, a widely used animal model for studying infection. In these larvae, coinfections resulted in more rapid death compared to infections with either pathogen alone, reinforcing the conclusion that the immune system’s ability to fight infection is compromised in the presence of both bacteria.
The study offers one of the first clear demonstrations of immune suppression caused by M. abscessus–P. aeruginosa coinfection and raises concerns about how such infections may contribute to therapy resistance and lung function decline, particularly in cystic fibrosis patients and other severe chronic lung disease.
“Future treatments may need to go beyond antibiotics and include immune-modulating therapies to counteract the immune evasion strategies used by these bacteria.”, explains Víctor Campo-Pérez, first author of the study. Such approaches could help restore a more balanced immune response, improving the body’s ability to clear infections.
The findings highlight the complexity of polymicrobial infections and the importance of understanding how pathogens interact not just with the host, but also with each other, and open the door to new therapeutic strategies, particularly for vulnerable patients with chronic lung conditions.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2025-05-08
Consumption of ultra-processed foods, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, potato chips and packaged cookies, may be associated with adverse health outcomes, according to research being presented at the ACC Asia 2025 Together with SCS 36th Annual Scientific Meeting taking place May 9-11 in Singapore. This risk for hypertension, other cardiovascular events, cancer, digestive diseases, mortality and more, increased with every 100 grams of ultra-processed foods consumed each day.
“Ultra-processed foods are characterized by high sugar, high salt, and other non-nutritive components, exhibiting low nutritional density yet ...
2025-05-08
Twenty-eight major U.S. cities, including New York, Dallas, and Seattle, are seeing urban areas sink by 2 to 10 millimeters per year, according to new research from Virginia Tech. The major cause is groundwater extraction.
Published in Nature Cities, the study used satellite-based radar measurements to create high-resolution maps of subsidence, or sinking land, for 28 of the most populous U.S. cities. The cities are home to 34 million people, about 12 percent of the total U.S. population.
In every city studied, at least 20 percent of the urban area ...
2025-05-08
A new study puts the spotlight on the rising burden of ischemic heart disease across Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania, and calls for localized, equity-focused interventions in these regions. The researchers identified region-specific, modifiable risk factors that influence the increasing prevalence of ischemic heart disease, such as toxic air pollution in East Asia and ultra-processed dietary dependence in Oceania. The study will be presented at the ACC Asia 2025 Together With SCS 36th Annual Scientific Meeting in Singapore.
Ischemic heart disease (IHD) occurs ...
2025-05-08
If you quickly move a camera from object to object, the abrupt shift between the two points causes a motion smear that might give you nausea. Our eyes, however, do movements like these two or three times per second. These rapid movements are called saccades, and although the visual stimulus during a saccade shifts abruptly across the retina, our brain seems to keep it under the hood: we never perceive the shift. New research shows that the speed of our saccades predicts the speed limit in our vision when an object becomes too fast to see. According to a study published in Nature ...
2025-05-08
A new study of the 28 most populous U.S. cities finds that all are sinking to one degree or another. The cities include not just those on the coasts, where relative sea level is a concern, but many in the interior. Furthermore, using newly granular data, the study finds that some cities are sinking at different rates in different spots, or sinking in some places and rising in others, potentially introducing stresses that could affect buildings and other infrastructure. Massive ongoing groundwater extraction is the most common cause of these land movements, say the authors, though other ...
2025-05-08
Scientists have launched an interactive global map to show the migratory patterns of more than 100 marine species in an effort to protect at-risk wildlife.
New models were developed by The University of Queensland and Duke University scientists to be part of the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean (MiCO) database which aims to bridge information gaps for policymakers and conservationists.
Dr Lily Bentley from UQ’s Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science said the online tool was the first freely accessible global view of marine migratory connectivity.
“Covering ...
2025-05-08
A team of researchers has unveiled a cutting-edge Amphibious Robotic Dog capable of roving across both land and water with remarkable efficiency. The study, published in IOP Publishing’s Bioinspiration and Biometrics, was inspired by mammals’ ability to move through water as well as on land.
Existing amphibious robots are largely inspired by reptiles or insects, and often face limitations in agility, dynamics, and load capacity. Basing the amphibious robot on the swimming style of dogs allows for it to easily transition between land and water and overcome many ...
2025-05-08
Why do cats generally live longer than dogs? New research suggests that longer livespans of mammals like cats could be linked to their bigger brains and more complex immune systems.
An international team of scientists led by the University of Bath studied evolutionary differences between mammal species and found that those with bigger brains and longer lifespans tend to invest more heavily in immune-related genes. Their findings show how broad genomic changes, rather than individual genes, shape longevity.
The researchers looked at the maximum lifespan potential of 46 species of mammals and mapped the genes shared across these species. The maximum lifespan ...
2025-05-08
Five of Europe’s leading agricultural, food and life sciences institutions announce the launch of the European Science Alliance for Agriculture and Food (ESAAF)—a new scientific coalition designed to support the transformation and resilience of the EU agri-food sector.
ESAAF aims to harness the momentum and shared ambition across Europe to create sustainable, competitive, and resilient food systems. EU policy makers have some pressing dilemmas to tackle in that regard. ESAAF will serve as a hub and dedicated scientific voice in food system policy discussions, ensuring that sound, independent evidence underpins future strategies.
The founding members of ESAAF ...
2025-05-08
Global emissions of carbon dioxide from industry can be reduced by five per cent. But that requires companies and policy makers to take a holistic approach to energy efficiency and energy management and not solely focus on technological development. This is the conclusion of researchers, including from Linköping University, in the journal Nature Communications.
“We have a far too narrow view of energy efficiency. Many people think that investments in new energy-efficient equipment are enough. But then you can’t fulfil the full potential of energy efficiency,” says Patrik Thollander, Professor ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Common lung bacteria team up to evade immune defenses
A new study has uncovered how co-infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium abscessus, two common lung pathogens, can suppress immune responses and worsen outcomes in patients with respiratory diseases