title: Programming of the lung in early life by bacterial infections predisposes to chronic respiratory disease.
abstract: There is emerging evidence that chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and emphysema may originate in early life. Respiratory infections with certain bacterial pathogens such as Chlamydia, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae in early life may promote permanent deleterious changes in immunity, lung structure, and function that predispose to, or increase the severity of chronic respiratory diseases in later life. For example, these infections increase immune responses, which drive subsequent asthma pathogenesis. Targeting the pathways involved with specific inhibitors or agonists may prevent these consequences of early-life infection. Vaccination and immunomodulatory therapies that control the infections and their sequelae may also be efficacious.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Priority Research Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Disease, Faculty of Health and Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Malcolm R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Starkey
authors.forename: Duc H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Richard Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Prema M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: Alexandra C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Ama-Tawiah
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Essifie
authors.forename: Jay C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Horvat
authors.forename: Philip M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Hansbro
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2 / Q000819:agonists
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D018793:Interleukin-13; D022541:Streptococcal Vaccines; D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2