A lung infection that is a common cause of pneumonia can persist even after recovery from the illness and may lead to chronic asthma, researchers said. A study of mice infected with the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common cause of respiratory infection in people, found signs of the infection in the animals? lungs as long as 18 months later, with many developing the type of bronchial constriction associated with asthma attacks. We speculate that Mycoplasma pneumoniae may be able to establish long-term infection in children and adults that leads to wheezing long after the initial respiratory infection has resolved,?? lead researcher Robert Hardy of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas said in a statement. From eight to 18 months after the test mice were infected, researchers found they had inflamed lung tissue similar to that in asthmatics and also detected the immune protein interleukin-4 in their blood, an immunological marker often found in asthmatics. Asthma is a growing problem, especially among children, that has been variously blamed on environmental pollution, weaker immune systems, and other causes. Hardy said Mycoplasma pneumoniae is known to be often present at the time of severe asthma attacks in children and adults. It has also been found in long-term asthmatics when they are not experiencing attacks. ``Eradicating this infection from asthmatics with prior infection may greatly improve their lung function,?? said the study, which was presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

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