Lauren Bakaletz, a researcher for the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis at Ohio State College of Medicine, presents evidence for the hypothesis that viruses and bacteria have effects on pathogenesis during coinfection in her review article titled “Viral-bacterial co-infections in the respiratory tract” (2017). Bakaletz uses information from previously published scientific studies to demonstrate that a primary viral infection can increase the ability for bacteria to establish a more serious secondary infection, using mechanisms such as damage to epithelial cells, immune system suppression, and alteration of the microbiome. The purpose of this review is to consolidate all the currently known information on how coinfection works, in order to kickstart further research into this topic and development of treatments or prevention strategies. Bakaletz addresses any researchers with a baseline knowledge of microbiology who wish to know more about bacterial and viral pathogenesis, presenting them with information to further their knowledge in a specific subtopic such as coinfection.
Bakaletz LO. Viral-bacterial co-infections in the respiratory tract. Curr Opin Microbiol.
2017;35:30-35. doi:10.1016/j.mib.2016.11.003
