Another reason to quit smoking: C. difficile Infection

A recent study in PLoS ONE from Mary Rogers and co-authors at the Ann Arbor VA and the University of Michigan looked at C. difficile infection (CDI) rates in a cohort of almost 17 thousand Americans over the age of 50.  They used survey data from the Health and Retirement Study linked to CMS data and identified CDI using ICD-9 codes (which are valid in CDI, unlike MRSA). They found that current smokers had 80% higher rates of CDI and former smokers had 33% higher rates compared to never smokers. Possible reasons given for the association include Clostridium species on the cigarettes themselves, high rates of antibiotics among elderly smokers and altered gut microbiota in smokers. Each of these would be another good reason to quit smoking.

h/t Mark Vander Weg

image source: wikipedia/Vinniebar

Cigarettes = Acinetobacter+Pseudmonas+Staphylococcus

Researchers at the University of Maryland investigated the bacterial metagenomics of four brands of cigarettes and detected 15 classes of bacteria in all cigarette samples.  Holy Smoke! (couldn't resist)  The research by Saplota et al, just published in the March 2010 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, found Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Burkholderia, Clostridium, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Serratia in ≥ 90% of all cigarette samples and also Campylobacter, Enterococcus, Proteus, and Staphylococcus.

The authors point out that earlier studies had found some of these same bacteria on fresh tobacco leaves suggesting that contamination might be occurring at the farm or production level.  Other data has shown that certain bacteria, M. avium, can survive the burning/smoking process and infect the lungs. Perhaps this suggests that some other organisms (e.g. Bacillus or Clostridium) might also be able to survive. Of course more research is needed.  Fascinating stuff and isn't it great to know that in this age of instant access to information, that it only took me 9 months to find this study!

h/t Mark Vander Weg