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This study is noteworthy and relevant to humans (it was done on mice) because it may explain why so many people taking antibiotics get frequent viruses or seem more susceptible to infections. Once bacteria (both good and bad) are killed by antibiotics, then the community becomes unbalanced (dysbiosis), so that viruses may gain a foothold and a viral infection develops. In a healthy microbial community all sorts of microbes can be found, even ones we typically consider pathogenic, but the whole community keeps them in balance. One can say that "depletion of commensal microbiota also affects antiviral immunity".

The study researchers said that the study findings were relevant to humans: that oral antibiotics could result in increased susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections, as well as other infectious viruses. Note: commensal microbes or commensalism is a the living together of two organisms (different species) in a relationship that is beneficial to one and has no effect on the other. Dysbiosis is microbial imbalance, the microbial community being "out of whack". From Science Daily:

Antibiotics may increase susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections

Commensal microbiota, populations of bacteria that inhabit the tissues of larger organisms, often have complex relationships with their hosts. Researchers have been aware for some time that commensal microbiota play a role in antiviral immunity by producing immune inductive signals that trigger inflammasome responses, among other things.

However, the role of dysbiosis on antiviral immunity hasn't been studied. Dysbiosis describes the loss of bacterial diversity within a microbiome, and the direct role that commensal microbiota play in antiviral immunity suggests that such loss would facilitate viral infections. Recently, a collaborative of Korean and Japanese scientists conducted a study into the effects of antibiotic-induced dysbiosis on antiviral immunity, and have published their results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers investigated the mechanisms of commensal microbial immunity on the genital mucosa by treating mice with antibiotics for four weeks and then exposing them to HSV-2. A control group received placebo. They report that the antibiotics caused dysbiosis within the vaginal microbiota, and resulted in a dramatic increase in innate immune response—specifically, they noted increases in an alarmin called IL-33, which blocked effector T cells from migrating into the vaginal tissues and secreting antiviral cytokines.

Antibiotic-treated mice succumbed to HSV-2 infection dramatically faster than control mice. They exhibited more severe pathology and all mice treated with antibiotics prior to viral exposure died within 11 days of infection. "Taking these data together, we find that depletion of commensal bacteria results in a severe defect in antiviral protection following mucosal HSV-2 infection," the researchers write.

By analyzing stool and vaginal washes from both groups of mice, they determined that antibiotic treatment induced an imbalance in the microbial composition of the vaginal mucosa. Further, they were able to determine that no single species of bacteria was responsible for the antiviral immunity effects of the commensal microbiome; rather, it was the imbalance of the microbiotic population that accounted for the effects.

 

The human mouth hosts a variety of microbes, some taking up residence on the mouth lining (blue) within days after birth. Credit: Martin Oeggerli (National Geographic)

Published on Leave a comment on BPA Free and BPA Plastic Have Similar Effects

Once again, research shows that "BPA-free" plastic does not mean it is safer than BPA plastic. Both BPA and BPS (the usual replacement for BPA) leach estrogenic chemicals into the foods and beverages, which means negative health effects when ingested. Both BPA and BPS mimic the effects of estrogen, as well as the actions of thyroid hormone. Yes, this study was done on zebrafish, but think of them as "the canaries in the mine" - if it affects them, it could affect humans also, especially developing fetuses and young children.

BPA  and BPS can leach into food, particularly under heat, from the lining of cans and from consumer products such as water bottles, baby bottles, food-storage containers, sippy cups, and plastic tableware. BPA can also be found in contact lenses, eyeglass lenses, compact discs, water-supply pipes, some cash register and ATM receipts, as well as in some dental sealants. A good way to minimize exposure to BPA , BPS, and other estrogenic chemicals is to try to avoid food and beverages in plastic containers and cans, but instead try to buy and store food in glass containers, jars, and bottles. From Science Daily:

'BPA-free' plastic accelerates embryonic development, disrupts reproductive system

Companies advertise "BPA-free" as a safer version of plastic products ranging from water bottles to sippy cups to toys. Many manufacturers stopped used Bisphenol A to strengthen plastic after animal studies linked it to early puberty and a rise in breast and prostate cancers.Yet new UCLA research demonstrates that BPS (Bisphenol S), a common replacement for BPA, speeds up embryonic development and disrupts the reproductive system.

Using a zebrafish model, Wayne and her colleagues found that exposure to low levels of BPA and BPS -- equivalent to the traces found in polluted river waters -- altered the animals' physiology at the embryonic stage in as quickly as 25 hours. "Egg hatching time accelerated, leading to the fish equivalent of premature birth," said Wayne, who is also UCLA's associate vice chancellor for research. "The embryos developed much faster than normal in the presence of BPA or BPS."

The UCLA team, which included first author Wenhui Qiu, a visiting graduate student from Shanghai University, chose to conduct the study in zebrafish because their transparent embryos make it possible to "watch" cell growth as it occurs.... In a second finding, the team discovered that the number of endocrine neurons increased up to 40 percent, suggesting that BPA overstimulates the reproductive system.... "We saw many of these same effects with BPS found in BPA-free products. BPS is not harmless."

After uncovering her first finding about BPA in 2008, Wayne immediately discarded all of the plastic food containers in her home and replaced them with glass. She and her family purchase food and drinks packaged in glass whenever possible. "Our findings are frightening and important," emphasized Wayne. "Consider it the aquatic version of the canary in the coal mine."

Finally, the researchers were surprised to find that both BPA and BPS acted partly through an estrogen system and partly through a thyroid hormone system to exert their effects. "Most people think of BPA as mimicking the effects of estrogen. But our work shows that it also mimics the actions of thyroid hormone," said Wayne. "Because of thyroid hormone's important influence on brain development during gestation, our work holds important implications for general embryonic and fetal development, including in humans."

Researchers have proposed that endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be contributing to the U.S.' rise in premature human births and early onset of puberty over the past couple of decades. "Our data support that hypothesis," said Wayne. "If BPA is impacting a wide variety of animal species, then it's likely to be affecting human health. Our study is the latest to help show this with BPA and now with BPS."

Published on Leave a comment on Microbes Partially Restored To C-Section Babies

I posted about this amazing research while it was still ongoing (Jan. 16, 2015), but now a study has been published. The small well-done pilot study looked at the microbiome (microbial communities) and microbial differences between different groups of infants during the first 30 days of life. They found significant differences in the bacteria of C-section infants (not exposed to their mother's vaginal fluid in the birth canal) compared to C-section infants who were swabbed with a gauze pad right after birth with their mother's vaginal fluids. They found that the microbiota (community of microbes) is partially restored in the swabbed C-section infants and more similar to that of vaginally delivered infants (who were exposed to the maternal bacteria naturally in the birth canal). They found that the procedure restored some bacteria, such as Lactobacillus and Bacteroides, which were nearly absent in the skin and anal samples of non-swabbed C-section babies.

In the C-section group, four mothers who were free of infections that might harm the babies, incubated a sterile gauze in their vaginas for one hour before the operation (C-section). Then, within two minutes of birth, the babies were swabbed with the gauze first over their mouths, then their faces, and then the rest of their bodies. These results are important because it is thought that microbiome differences (depending on method of birth) are long-lasting (with higher incidence of some health problems later in life with C-sections), and because the baby's early microbiome helps educate the baby's developing immune system.

Rob Knight (a leading microbiologist and one of the researchers) pointed out that the study "provides the proof-of-concept that microbiome modification early in life is possible." Now we need to see if these microbial differences persist over time and if it makes a health difference. From Science Daily:

Vaginal microbes can be partially restored to c-section babies

In a small pilot study, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai determined that a simple swab to transfer vaginal microbes from a mother to her C-section-delivered newborn can alter the baby's microbial makeup (microbiome) in a way that more closely resembles the microbiome of a vaginally delivered baby. 

Babies delivered by C-section differ from babies delivered vaginally in the makeup of the microbes that live in and on their bodies. These early microbiomes help educate the baby's developing immune system. Previous research suggests a link between C-section delivery and increased subsequent risk of obesity, asthma, allergies, atopic disease and other immune deficiencies. Many of these diseases have also been linked to the microbiome, though the role a newborn's microbiome plays in current or long-term health is not yet well-understood....Other research suggests that microbiome differences between vaginal and C-section babies can persist for years."

In the study, the researchers collected samples from 18 infants and their mothers, including seven born vaginally and 11 delivered by scheduled C-section. Of the C-section-delivered babies, four were exposed to their mothers' vaginal fluids at birth as part of this study. To do this, sterile gauze was incubated in the mothers' vaginas for one hour before the C-section. Within two minutes of their birth, the babies delivered by C-section were swabbed with the gauze starting with the mouth, then the face and the rest of the body.

Six times over the first month after birth, the researchers collected a total of 1,519 anal, oral and skin samples from the mothers and infants. Knight's team then used a gene sequencing technique to map the types and relative quantities of bacterial species present at each body site.

Here's what they found: the microbiomes of the four C-section-delivered infants exposed to vaginal fluids more closely resembled those of vaginally delivered infants than unexposed C-section-delivered infants, though the difference was more distinct in their oral and skin samples than in their anal samples. This partial microbial restoration could be due to the fact that the infants received only one surface application of maternal vaginal fluids, Knight said.

Yet the oral and skin microbiome differences between C-section-delivered infants who received the microbial transfer and those who did not was still noticeable one month after birth. The results were not due to diet differences, as all of the infants received breast milk either exclusively or supplemented with formula during the first month of life. In addition, consistent with previous studies, the babies' microbiome profiles did not correlate with the amount of breast milk they received.

"The present work is a pilot study -- we need substantially more children and a longer follow-up period to connect the procedure to health effects," said Knight...."This study points the way to how we would do that, and provides the proof-of-concept that microbiome modification early in life is possible. In fact, we already have more than 10,000 additional samples collected as part of this study that still await analysis."

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Published on 4 Comments on Three Years of Sinusitis Treatment Success

It's now 3 years being free of chronic sinusitis and off all antibiotics! Three amazing years since I started using easy do-it-yourself sinusitis treatments containing the probiotic (beneficial bacteria) Lactobacillus sakei. My sinuses feel great! And yes, it still feels miraculous.

After reading the original ground-breaking research on sinusitis done by Abreu et al (2012), it led to finding and trying L. sakei as a sinusitis treatment. Of course, there is an entire community of microbes that live in healthy sinuses (the sinus microbiome), but L. sakei seems to be a key one for sinus health.

I just updated the post The One Probiotic That Treats Sinusitis (originally posted January 2015) using my family's experiences (lots of self-experimentation!) and all the information that people have sent me. The post has a list of brands and products with L. sakei, as well as information about some other promising bacteria. Thank you so much! [For latest see: The Best Probiotic For Sinus Infections]

Thank you all who have written to me  - whether publicly or privately. Please keep writing and tell me what has worked or hasn't worked for you as a sinusitis treatment. If you find another bacteria or microbe or product that works for you - please let me know. It all adds to the sinusitis treatment knowledge base. I will keep posting updates. 

(NOTE: I wrote our background story - Sinusitis Treatment Story back in December 2013, and there is also a  Sinusitis Treatment Summary page with the various treatment methods. One can also click on SINUSITIS under CATEGORIES to see more posts, such as "Probiotics and Sinusitis" - a discussion by one of the original sinusitis researchers about what she thinks is going on in sinus microbiomes and what is needed.)  

Published on Leave a comment on Exercise Alone May Not Lead to Weight Loss

Why exercise alone won't get those pounds off - it's because the body adapts to higher exercise levels. We all suspected that, but it is depressing... From Medical Xpress:

Why you won't lose weight with exercise alone

Exercise by itself isn't always enough to take off the weight. Now, evidence reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on January 28 helps to explain why that is: our bodies adapt to higher activity levels, so that people don't necessarily burn extra calories even if they exercise more.

People who start exercise programs to lose weight often see a decline in weight loss (or even a reversal) after a few months. Large comparative studies have also shown that people with very active lifestyles have similar daily energy expenditure to people in more sedentary populations.

Pontzer says this really hit home for him when he was working among the Hadza, a population of traditional hunter-gatherers in northern Tanzania."The Hadza are incredibly active, walking long distances each day and doing a lot of hard physical work as part of their everyday life," Pontzer says. "Despite these high activity levels, we found that they had similar daily energy expenditures to people living more sedentary, modernized lifestyles in the United States and Europe. That was a real surprise, and it got me thinking about the link between activity and energy expenditure."

To explore this question further in the new study, Pontzer and his colleagues measured the daily energy expenditure and activity levels of more than 300 men and women over the course of a week.In the data they collected, they saw a weak but measurable effect of physical activity on daily energy expenditure.

But, further analysis showed that this pattern only held among subjects on the lower half of the physical activity spectrum. People with moderate activity levels had somewhat higher daily energy expenditures—about 200 calories higher—than the most sedentary people. But people who fell above moderate activity levels saw no effect of their extra work in terms of energy expenditure."The most physically active people expended the same amount of calories each day as people who were only moderately active," Pontzer says.

Published on Leave a comment on Childhood Antibiotic Use Disrupts Gut Microbiome

This confirms what researchers such as Dr. Martin Blaser (in his book Missing Microbes) and others (such as Drs. Sonnenburg and Sonnenburg) have been saying about antibiotic use in infants and children: that there are negative effects to the gut microbiome from antibiotic use in early childhood, and the more frequent the use, the greater the negative effects. It is because the use of antibiotics  in early childhood "disrupts the microbiome".

Penicillins appear to be less disruptive, but macrolides (e.g., Clarithromycin, azithromycin) much more disruptive - the researchers found that the gut microbiota recovered within 6–12 months after a penicillin course, but did not fully recover from a macrolide course even after 2 years . Antibiotics can be life-saving, but they absolutely should not be used casually because there are hidden costs (such as microbiome changes). From Medical Xpress:

Antibiotic use in early life disrupt normal gut microbiota development

The use of antibiotics in early childhood interferes with normal development of the intestinal microbiota, shows research conducted at the University of Helsinki. Particularly the broad-spectrum macrolide antibiotics, commonly used to treat respiratory tract infections, have adverse effects. Macrolides appear also to contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.  ...continue reading "Childhood Antibiotic Use Disrupts Gut Microbiome"

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Published on 1 Comment on Beards and Bacteria in Hospitals

Once again, two opposing views about beards have been in the news - that they harbor all sorts of nasty disease-causing bacteria vs they are hygienic. An earlier May 5, 2015 post was about the question of whether bearded men have more bacteria on their faces than clean shaven ones. I cited a 2014 study found that they don't, and that we are all covered with bacteria, all sorts of bacteria, and this is normal.

Now another study has looked at the issue of hospital workers with and without beards and whether they carry infectious bacteria. Researchers swabbed the faces (center of the cheek and the skin of the upper lip under the nostrils) of both clean shaven individuals and individuals with facial hair (beards) that worked in two hospitals (they all had direct contact with patients) and looked at the bacteria present. They especially looked for the presence of the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, which surprisingly was found more in the clean-shaven men.

Also to their surprise, it was more of the clean shaven men who carried the pathogenic bacteria Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (also known as MRSA). For those bacterial groups most closely associated with hospital acquired infections, such as Klebsiella species, Pseudomonas species, Enterobacter species., and Acinetobacter species, prevalence was low in both groups, and less than 2% for each group.

For other, less harmful bacteria, researchers found that bearded employees harbored no more bacteria than their clean-shaven colleagues. In summary: The researchers say that "results suggest that male hospital workers with facial hair do not harbour more potentially concerning bacteria than clean-shaven workers, and that in some instances, clean-shaven individuals are significantly more likely to be colonized with potential nosocomial pathogens". (NOTE: nosocomial means a disease originating or acquired in a hospital.)

And why is that? According to the study, one explanation is "microtrauma to the skin," which occurs during shaving and results in abrasions, which could support bacterial colonisation and growth of bacteria on the clean-shaven men. However, some other researchers have a different hypothesis — that beards themselves actually fight infection.

This stems from an experiment carried out by Dr. Michael Mosley who recently swabbed the beards of a variety of men and sent the samples to Dr. Adam Roberts, a microbiologist at University College London. Roberts grew more than 100 different bacteria from the beard samples, but found that in a few of the petri dishes a microbe was killing the other bacteria -  a bacteria called Staphylococcus epidermidis, and which they believe has antibiotic properties.

From the Journal of Hospital Infection: Bacterial ecology of hospital workers’ facial hair: a cross-sectional study

Summary: It is unknown whether healthcare workers' facial hair harbours nosocomial pathogens. We compared facial bacterial colonization rates among 408 male healthcare workers with and without facial hair. Workers with facial hair were less likely to be colonized with Staphylococcus aureus (41.2% vs 52.6%, P = 0.02) and meticillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (2.0% vs 7.0%, P = 0.01). Colonization rates with Gram-negative organisms were low for all healthcare workers, and Gram-negative colonization rates did not differ by facial hair type. Overall, colonization is similar in male healthcare workers with and without facial hair; however, certain bacterial species were more prevalent in workers without facial hair.

[Excerpts from Discussion]:Several studies to date have demonstrated that physician white coats and neck ties can act as significant sources of nosocomial bacteria. Our study suggests that facial hair does not increase the overall risk of bacterial colonization compared to clean-shaven control subjects. Indeed, clean-shaven control subjects exhibited higher rates of colonization with certain bacterial species. This finding may be explained by microtrauma to the skin during shaving resulting in abrasions, which may support bacterial colonization and proliferation. This may be akin to the enhanced risk of surgical site infections in patients shaved with razors prior to surgery. Further, our results are consistent with prior evidence pertaining to bacterial colonization on the hands and nares of HCWs (Health care workers).

Published on Leave a comment on The Effects of Low Fiber Diet Over Generations

A recent study using mice, and following them for 4 generations, has implications for Americans who typically eat a low-fiber diet (average of 15 grams daily). Note that current dietary guidelines recommend that women should eat around 25 grams and men 38 grams daily of fiber. The researchers found that low-fiber diets not only deplete the complex microbial ecosystems residing in the gut, but can cause an irreversible loss of diversity within those ecosystems in as few as three or four generations.

This is because fiber feeds the millions of microbes in the gut - and so a fiber-rich diet can nourish a wide variety of gut microbes, but a low-fiber diet can only sustain a narrower community. As the generations went by, the rodents’ guts became progressively less diverse, as more and more species were extinguished. If the fourth-generation mice switched to high-fiber meals, some of the missing microbes rebounded, but most did not. It took a fecal transplant (mice style) to get back the missing microbes. From Science Daily:

Low-fiber diet may cause irreversible depletion of gut bacteria over generations

A study by Stanford University School of Medicine investigators raises concerns that the lower-fiber diets typical in industrialized societies may produce internal deficiencies that get passed along to future generations. The study, conducted in mice, indicates that low-fiber diets not only deplete the complex microbial ecosystems residing in every mammalian gut, but can cause an irreversible loss of diversity within those ecosystems in as few as three or four generations.

Once an entire population has experienced the extinction of key bacterial species, simply "eating right" may no longer be enough to restore these lost species to the guts of individuals in that population, the study suggests. Those of us who live in advanced industrial societies may already be heading down that path.

Published on Leave a comment on Ticks That Transmit Lyme Disease Are Found In Almost Half of US Counties

Bad news about ticks: the blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis and the western Ixodes pacificus) that spread Lyme disease, are now reported in almost half of the counties in the U. S. Researchers found blacklegged ticks in 1,420 out of 3,110 counties in the continental U.S., or about 46% of counties, and found western blacklegged ticks in 111 counties, or about 4%. Combined, this is a 45% increase from 1998 when ticks were reported in 1,058 counties.Of course the tick-dense northeast is where Lyme disease is most common. Although the blacklegged tick is found from Florida to Minnesota, 95% of confirmed Lyme disease cases come from just 14 states in the northeast and upper Midwest. 

One interesting study that looked at reasons for these differences was published in PLOS ONE last year by parasitologist Isis Arsnoe and colleagues . They found that populations of blacklegged ticks behave differently in the north and the south United States. Nymphs of the blacklegged tick in the north are bolder and more active in seeking out hosts, a behavior known as questing. Arsnoe found that that tick nymphs originating from Wisconsin and Rhode Island were 20 times more likely to emerge from leaf litter, putting them in the path of passing humans, than nymphs from North or South Carolina. "Questing behavior is a key factor affecting the risk of tick bites." From Science Daily:

Ticks that transmit Lyme disease reported in nearly half of all US counties

Lyme disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus), and the range of these ticks is spreading, according to research published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Some symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, headache, and fatigue, all of which can be mistaken for the common flu, so medical personnel need to know where these ticks are found in order to make a correct diagnosis. Unfortunately, the range of blacklegged ticks had not been re-evaluated in nearly two decades, until now.

The team used surveillance methods similar to those used in 1998 so that they would be able to accurately judge the degree to which the distribution of these ticks had changed. Using the gathered data, they figured out which counties had established populations, which ones had one or more reports of a blacklegged ticks, and which ones had none.

They found that the blacklegged tick has been reported in more than 45% of  U.S. counties, compared to 30% of counties in 1998. Even more alarming, the blacklegged tick is now considered established in twice the number of counties as in 1998. Most of the geographic expansion of the blacklegged tick appears to be in the northern U.S., while populations in southern states have remained relatively stable. The range of the western blacklegged tick only increased from 3.4% to 3.6% of counties. (The study in J. of Medical Entomology)

Published on

This study found that greater intake of dietary nitrate and green leafy vegetables was associated with a 20 percent to 30 percent lower risk of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), which is the most common form of glaucoma. Glaucoma can lead to vision loss and even blindness (if left untreated).There is evidence that nitric oxide has a role in primary open-angle glaucoma, and that dietary intake of nitrates is beneficial. Green leafy vegetables (iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce,  mustard, or chard, cooked spinach, and raw spinach) were found to be most beneficial, as well as kale and collard greens. Those who ate the most green leafy vegetables ate about 1.5 servings per day, versus .3 servings daily in the lowest intake group.

Dietary nitrate is predominately derived from green leafy vegetables, which contribute approximately 80% of nitrate intake. But they are found as well in other vegetables, such as beets and carrots. It should be pointed out that those who consumed the most dietary nitrate in this study also consumed more fruits and vegetables, and so also consumed more dietary carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids, folate, and vitamin A. Bottom line: try to eat fruits and vegetables daily, especially green leafy vegetables (e.g., a salad). From Science Daily:

Higher dietary nitrate, green leafy vegetable intake associated with lower risk of glaucoma

Greater intake of dietary nitrate and green leafy vegetables was associated with a 20 percent to 30 percent lower risk of primary open-angle glaucoma, according to a study published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.

Elevated intraocular pressure and impaired autoregulation of optic nerve blood flow are implicated in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG; optic nerve damage from multiple possible causes that is chronic and progresses over time). Evidence suggests that nitrate or nitrite, precursors for nitric oxide, is beneficial for blood circulation. Jae H. Kang, Sc.D., of Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues evaluated the association between dietary nitrate intake, derived mainly from green leafy vegetables, and POAG. The researchers followed up participants biennially in the prospective cohorts of the Nurses' Health Study (63,893 women; 1984-2012) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (41,094 men; 1986-2012). Eligible participants were 40 years or older, were free of POAG, and reported eye examinations. Information on diet was updated with questionnaires.

During follow-up, 1,483 incident cases of POAG were identified. Participants were divided into quintiles (one of five groups) of dietary nitrate intake (quintile 5, approximately 240 mg/d; quintile 1, approximately 80 mg/d). The researchers found that greater intake of dietary nitrate and green leafy vegetables was associated with a 20 percent to 30 percent lower POAG risk; the association was particularly strong (40 percent-50 percent lower risk) for POAG with early paracentral visual field loss (a subtype of POAG linked to dysfunction in blood flow autoregulation).