title: The effect of vitamin E on secondary bacterial infection after influenza infection in young and old mice.
abstract: Mortality from influenza is high in the elderly. Deaths are mainly due to secondary complications, including Staphylococcus aureus (SA) infections. Vitamin E (E) supplementation reduces influenza in aged mice. This study determined the efficacy of E supplementation on secondary bacterial infections after influenza in young and old mice. C57BL/6 mice were fed diets containing 30 or 500 ppm E for 4 weeks. Priming with influenza significantly increased SA in the lungs of infected mice fed control diet. Age did not have a significant effect on SA infection alone or SA infection after influenza infection. E supplementation did not have a significant effect on SA infection alone. However, E supplementation abolished the priming effect of influenza on SA.
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
authors.forename: Raina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: Sung Nim
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marko
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belisle
authors.forename: Roderick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bronson
authors.forename: Simin Nikbin
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Meydani
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000150:complications*; D011023:Pneumonia, Staphylococcal / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E