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Bacterial Newcomers Can Worsen Lung Disease 

Infection with an unfamiliar bug may worsen the coughing, wheezing and breathlessness that come with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), new study findings suggest.

When COPD patients are infected with a new bacterial strain, they can end up with exacerbated symptoms and sometimes land in the hospital, researchers report in this week's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

COPD encompasses two lung conditions: chronic bronchitis and emphysema, study co-author Dr. Timothy F. Murphy explained in an interview with Reuters Health.

"It's the fourth leading cause of death in the United States," added Murphy, a professor of medicine and microbiology at the University of Buffalo and chief of infectious diseases at the Buffalo V.A. Medical Center. "Ninety percent of cases are caused by smoking."

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