Development of a pulmonary bacterial model for testing the immune factors contributing to the increased pulmonary disease observed in alcoholics

Epidemiology studies have shown a clear correlation between chronic alcohol consumption and increases in incidence and severity of pulmonary infections. Consistent with these findings, our own recent studies using an animal model have demonstrated that chronic alcohol consumption leads to increased mortality, viral titers, pulmonary edema, and neutrophilia as well as significantly reduced virus-specific CD8 T cell responses during influenza virus infections. Together our results suggested that chronic alcohol alters both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune response therein contributing to the increased disease severity. In order to determine if these findings were unique to influenza virus infections or are more universal we developed a pulmonary bacterial infection model. To this end chronic ethanol consuming or water control mice were infected with Streptococcus, the most common bacteria associated with pneumonias in alcoholics, and the immune response, pulmonary inflammation, and disease severity monitored. Our preliminary results show increased mortality rates and pulmonary edema. Completion of our studies will allow us to definitively define common pathways that enhance pulmonary disease severity in alcoholics and therein offer potential targets for drug interventions.