Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 08, 2026 21 hours, 57 minutes ago
Medical News: Tiny Residents with Big Power
A growing body of research reveals that the microscopic bacteria living quietly inside the nose and throat can shape whether a flu infection stays mild or turns life-threatening. The review was led by Georgia Gioula and Maria Exindari from the Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Scientists find nose and throat microbes can block or worsen influenza
This
Medical News report explains how “good” microbes can stop the virus before it gets a foothold, while “bad” strains team up with influenza to damage the lungs and set the stage for dangerous bacterial pneumonia.
Good Bacteria That Fight Back
Some friendly microbes, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus oralis, Dolosigranulum pigrum, and Corynebacterium accolens, appear to act like a home-grown antiviral shield.
These helpers can:
-Spark early interferon-lambda signals that block viral multiplication
-Strengthen the protective lining of the nose
-Maintain mucus and cilia that wash germs away
-Change cell chemistry so the flu virus cannot breed easily
-Dial down enzymes the virus needs to infect new cells
What makes this striking is that most of these defenses start before the flu virus arrives. People rich in these microbes often experience milder infections and bounce back faster.
When Friendly Flora Turn Harmful
The review warns that influenza wrecks this balance and clears space for troublemakers—especially Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella species. These microbes then take advantage of weakened lungs.
They help influenza in surprising ways:
-Strep pneumoniae cuts away protective sugars that normally trap germs, making tissues easier for both bacteria and viruses to invade
-Staph aureus releases chemicals that activate flu particles and worsen lung inflammation
-Rising bacterial numbers slow immune cells, setting up secondary pneumonia
This explains why many deaths in major flu outbreaks come from bacterial co-infection, not the virus alone.
The Gut Is Involved Too
Researchers show that microbes in the intestine also influence flu outcomes. Beneficial bacteria digest fiber into short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, which travel through the bloodstream to the lungs. There, they reinforce tissue barriers and guide a calmer, more effective immune response.
Antibiotic use can disrupt this gut–lung partnership, making infections worse.
New Ideas for Future Treatments&l
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Based on these discoveries, scientists are exploring nasal sprays containing live helpful microbes, diet-boosting methods to restore protective metabolites, and drugs that block harmful bacterial enzymes that “supercharge” influenza. All remain experimental, but offer hope.
Conclusion
The review makes clear that the airway microbiome plays a major role in who gets severe flu and who does not. Helpful microbes can prime the immune system, maintain physical barriers, and drain away viruses before they reach the lungs. Harmful strains do the opposite, acting as influenza’s secret accomplices and enabling life-threatening bacterial pneumonia. Understanding and managing this tiny ecosystem—through diet, cautious antibiotic use, or future nose-based therapies—may become just as important as vaccines and antivirals. Protecting the microbiome could be the hidden key to keeping seasonal flu from turning deadly.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Pathogens
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/15/1/63
For the latest Flu news, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/influenza-or-flu
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