Vaping Cures Infection
Vaping has been linked to a cure for a chronic nasal infection in a non-smoker and stimulates discussion about the impact of vaping on respiratory infections
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by Dave Cross
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Staphylococcus aureus is a round-shaped bacterium, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It used to be treatable with penicillin, but a resistant strain cropped up in the Fifties and regular outbreaks of this have occurred since. One of the strains of Staphylococcus is responsible for MRSA outbreaks.
In 1942, O. H. Robertson et al discovered that “propylene glycol vapour dispersed into the air of an enclosed space produces a marked and rapid bactericidal effect on microorganisms introduced into such an atmosphere in droplet form.”
“With lesser concentrations of propylene glycol, rapid and marked reduction in the number of air-borne bacteria occurred, but complete sterilization of the air required a certain interval of time.”
The new paper by Joanna Miler and Peter Hajek is titled: “Resolution of chronic nasal Staphylococcus aureus infection in a non-smoker who started to use glycerine based e-cigarettes: Antibacterial effects of vaping?”
They write: “Recently we reported a case study of an association between vaping and a resolution of a chronic throat infection in a non-smoker who became a vaper. E-cigarette liquids use two humectants, propylene glycol and vegetable glycerol. PG is known for its bactericidal and virucidal properties and we hypothesized that the observed effect could have been due to this.”
“After the report was published, we were contacted by a medical doctor, who is also a non-smoker who started to vape, and who reported a similar resolution of chronic nasal infection while using e-liquids containing vegetable glycerol only (with no propylene glycol).”
They state: “A never-smoker adopted an e-cigarette that his wife was using and after a few weeks of vaping liquids containing vegetable glycerine with low levels of nicotine (3 mg/ml) experienced a complete resolution of chronic nasal Staphylococcus aureus infections.”
The pair concluded: “The improvements cannot be attributed to smoking cessation or bactericidal effects of propylene glycol. The effect could be a coincidence, but it could also be related to bacteriostatic properties of glycerol, or to antimicrobial properties of nicotine and/or the zinc (II) complex of nicotine. Assessments of effects of e-cigarettes with different humectants and nicotine levels in patients with recurrent bacterial respiratory infections could clarify this issue and possibly generate new treatments.”
Resources:
- “The Bacterial Action of Propylene Glycol” by O. H. Robertson et al - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2135271/
- “Resolution of chronic nasal Staphylococcus aureus infection in a non-smoker who started to use glycerine based e-cigarettes: Antibacterial effects of vaping?” by Joanna Miler and Peter Hajek - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987718302093?via%3Dihub
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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