THE BACTERIA WE BREATHE
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Excerpt
Bacteria present in inhaled air disappear rapidly from the lungs; this early clearance is one of the most important processes in resistance to infection in the bronchopulmonary tree. The mechanisms responsible for ridding the lung of viable bacteria have recently been described by Green and Kass.1 These investigators used radioactive labeled viable bacteria to compare the rate at which inhaled bacteria are rendered nonviable and the rate at which they are physically removed from lung tissue. Conventional histological and immunofluorescent methods served to identify the pathway through the lung followed by inhaled bacteria. These studies demonstrated that pulmonary mechanisms consist of two major actions: Physical removal of bacterial material from the lungs is accomplished via the mucociliary apparatus and lymphatic drainage. These physical mechanisms are effective in removing large dust particles (>3μ-4μ in diameter) and other particulate matter but they do not effect the death of bacteria. Loss of
