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The virus that causes the flu, Influenza, Attacks the cells in the lungs. Once inside of the respiratory cells the virus uses the cell’s normal reproduction process to copy itself. Once the cell is full of the flu virus, it kills off the infected cell and opens it up, releasing more of the virus to attack other cells.
Over a short period of time, the healthy respiratory cells die and pool up in the lungs. This process leads to a perfect breading ground for bacteria. The remnants of the dead cells become food for the bacteria. The normal healthy cells that are now dead, can no longer help fight off the bacteria , or block the bacteria from crossing into the blood and lung tissue .
As the bacteria continue to feed off of the ever increasing dead cells, they continue to multiply. Your body naturally sends white blood cells to fight off the bacteria, creating more fluid in the lungs. The fluid begins to fill the small airways in your lungs, making your lungs less effective in what they were meant to do, replenish your blood with oxygen.
With more fluid in the lungs and less oxygen to the blood, you begin to feel like you can’t catch your breath. The horrible result, if left untreated, is pneumonia. The pneumonia effectively causes you to drown as less blood is oxygenated. This causes the the organs and tissue throughout the body to die, as normal amounts of oxygen cannot reach them through the blood.
This is why health officials are so concerned about what seems to most people to be just a flu virus. With your body unable to deal with this new virus, the virus causes much more cell damage, creating more opportunity for bacteria to infect the lungs. A seemingly simple virus could lead to a much worse case of bacterial pneumonia.
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My question is this:
If the virus-infected cells explode/die and become food for bacteria in the lungs, where does the bacteria come from originally? Are we assuming that the bacteria is already present in the respiratory cells? Or does the virus itself actually mutate into form of bacteria and vice-versa?
I’m especially interested in this process because my nephew was recently diagnosed with H1N1 which was followed by pnuemonia. He was sick for 10 days and in finally recovering.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Vicki
Vicki,
Let me preface this by saying that I am not a Doctor and my advice should not be construed as coming from a health professional. I simply research the facts that are out there, then try to make people aware of the issues. Please do not take my advice over that of a health professional, or in place of a doctor’s advice.
Having said that, on to your questions. The bacteria is already present, it is everywhere. In healthy people, our bodies can fight it off and keep it under control. The problem arises when a person’s immune system is compromised, or weakened. Bacteria and viruses are two different organisms. In an extremely simple explanation, think of a snake and a cockroach, one cannot become the other. The dead viruses simply supply abundant food to the bacteria and the already overworked white blood cells trying to fight the flu cannot effectively fight the bacteria also. Viruses and bacteria do mutate, but they can only mutate into different versions of the virus, or bacteria, not from virus to bacteria, and visa versa.
There are studies that suggest people who are in the highest risk groups should be placed on antivirals (Tamiflu), and antibiotics, as soon as possible. The antivirals, of course for the flu virus, and the antibiotics for any potential bacterial infection in the lungs (pneumonia). Antibiotics should always be taken over the full course of treatment and never stopped half way through, this can cause antibiotic resistant bacteria, like we already have. If my child was sick with the virus, I would demand Tamiflu and antibiotics as soon as the symptoms arise.
I’m glad your nephew is getting better, and hope the best for him, but please continue on with the course of action his Doctor has recommended.