Why do some suffer more from colds and flu?

Bacteria in the nose determine how bad a cold is

Physicians have found out why some people suffer worse from cold, flu and sore throat. How bad a cold affects and how long it lasts depends on which bacteria live in your nose.

Researchers at the University of Virginia found that bacteria in our noses influence how severe a cold or flu will be. The experts published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Scientific Reports".

Staphylococci increase the temperature of the cold

When people have more staphylococci in their noses, the symptoms of the common cold are more severe than those with only a few of these bacteria in their noses, say the doctors. This effect occurs, although the colds of those affected by exactly the same virus strains are caused, the authors add to the study. The results of the investigation could lead in the future to the fact that special antibiotics are prescribed to clean the nose of bacteria and thus to end a cold or flu.

On average, adults get two to three colds per year

It was surprising to see how the microbiome in the nose can affect how much people are affected by a cold, explains study author Professor Ronald Turner of the University of Virginia. The so-called background microbiome in the nose has an effect on how affected people react when they become infected with a virus. The average adult gets two to three colds a year, while the average child can get six to eight, the experts say.

The nose hosts many different types of bacteria

Our bodies may not look like a battlefield, but at the microscopic level, there is a struggle for space and food between rival bacterial species, the scientists explain. Staphylococcus aureus occurs in the noses of three out of ten people, along with other types of bacteria.

Which factors influence the bacteria in the nose??

There could be an underlying economic trait that would cause a person to get more staphylococci, leading to a worse cold, Professor Turner suggests. This could be due to genetic factors or environmental factors such as pollution or pollen, or a combination of both factors. Presumably, an interaction between the host, the environment, and the pathogen determines how an illness progresses and how severe it is, the expert adds.

152 subjects participated in the study

For the study, 152 subjects were examined before and after a cold. This study excluded the possibility that the virus or the resulting disease altered the composition of the microbiome. The participants were then given a probiotic drink with healthy bacteria to determine if the drink relieved the symptoms and altered the bacteria in the nose or stomach. This was not the case. Prof. Turner, who has been researching colds for decades, is skeptical as to whether a nasal spray would have more effect than such a probiotic drink. However, it would be interesting, according to the expert, how antibiotics would affect. (As)