Who’s that rowdy DJ… in your lungs?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Ever had a party crasher? Meet T.mu, a gut bacteria turning your lungs into an unexpected rave.
Kyle Burrows from the University of Toronto uncovered T.mu’s surprising role. It invites immune cells from your gut to a dance in your lungs. These party-goers crank up the volume, making lungs super sensitive to allergens. They boost sensitivity by forty percent: bad news for asthmatics.
But plot twist! These rowdy guests are great bouncers against tuberculosis. They keep T-B from gate-crashing other organs by fifty percent.
Got asthma? Antibiotics can calm T.mu down.
Tuberculosis? Let T.mu step in and help!
In the meantime… party on, but ixnay on the kegstands.
Reference: Burrows, K., Ngai, L., Chiaranunt, P., Watt, J., Popple, S., Forde, B., … & Mortha, A. (2025). A gut commensal protozoan determines respiratory disease outcomes by shaping pulmonary immunity. Cell, 188(2), 316-330.