Disrupted gut microbes may weaken lung defenses against deadly hospital pneumonia

MedicalXpress | 四月 23, 2026

A gut-lung connection influences susceptibility to infection by Acinetobacter baumannii, a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections, according to a new study led by researchers at Vanderbilt Health and the University of Chicago. The investigators found that antibiotics disrupt the gut microbiota (microorganisms that live in the intestines) in an animal model; suppress protective immune system pathways in the lungs; and increase the severity of A. baumannii pneumonia. The findings are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.