A low dose of <i>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</i> infection enhances an established allergic inflammation in mice: the role of the prostaglandin E₂ pathway

Abstract

This study highlights a novel concept on how different bacterial loads in the lung modify the established allergic airway inflammation and thus interact with an allergen to further induce Th2 responses. That is, unlike high-level Mp, low-level Mp fails to effectively induce PGE(2) to down-regulate allergic responses (e.g. eotaxin-2), thus maintaining or even worsening allergic inflammation in asthmatic airways.