South Africa: Bacteria in airway shapes air pollution health risk

New research suggests that the subtype of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, combined with air pollution exposure, affects the rate and timing of invasive diseases such as bacterial pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. The study, conducted by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, found that older adults and young children are more vulnerable during periods of high air pollution. The findings indicate that improving air quality could lower disease risk. The research was published in Nature Microbiology.

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