Gut-Lung Axis: Implications and Clinical Relevance for Pulmonology – Medscape

Read article - An article from Medscape about emerging research on the gut-lung axis reveals promising links between gut health and chronic respiratory diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), highlighted research from Geisel's George O'Toole, PhD, the Elmer R. Pfefferkorn, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology. While clinical applications are still evolving, O'Toole emphasizes the importance of collaboration: “Linking the gut to the lung is a complex process that requires a team of researchers in the clinic and at the bench.” O’Toole’s work in CF in pediatric populations has validated links between loss of beneficial gut microbes, such as Bacteroides, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway infections in infants and children. This work has been done in close collaboration with Juliette Madan, MD, MS, and Julie Sanville, DO, physician-scientists at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.