Smokers Are Prone to Bacterial Infections, Study Found

The recent issue of The Journal of Cell Biology has reported on even more dangers of cigarette smoking. According to a new study conducted by an international team of researchers, smokers tend to suffer from various types of inflammations and infections more often than non-smokers.

This yet another negative effect of tobacco on human health is linked to an inhibiting action of nicotine on both the immune system and live tissues. It has been revealed that nicotine from cigarettes affects the secretion of specific leukocytes (white blood cells) that play a crucial role in protecting us from foreign bacteria and diseases.

The study, which was the first to shed light on the role of nicotine in inhibiting the protective effect of white blood cells, was headed by expert on oral health D. Scott from the University of Louisville.

Leukocytes are the body’s key defence against infections. They are manufactured in bone marrow and enter the blood in huge quantities on demand, when the body is under an attack launched by pathogenic bacteria.

The researchers found out that nicotine-contaminated cells were poorly equipped against pathogens, in comparison with leukocytes of non-smokers. White blood cells of smokers were less capable of identifying, fighting, and destroying disease-producing bacteria. Nicotine was proven to not only inhibit certain cellular functions responsible for killing pathogenic microbes, but also promote the inflammatory destruction of healthy cells. Scott has pointed out that this double effect of nicotine explains why smokers often suffer from inflammatory disease and various infections.

Prior research showed that smokers have an increased susceptibility to many diseases, partially due to the fact that nicotine, as well as numerous other harmful components of tobacco smoke, inhibits the immune system. However, it was still unclear how exactly nicotine affected the body’s defence system.

The new study can hold the key to better understanding of the damaging effect of tobacco on the immunity and may help scientists develop new approaches to treating tobacco-induced bacterial infections.

Deanna Campbell