Frequent, unnecessary antibiotic use has resulted in antibiotic-resistant organisms now considered a public health threat, Boushey said. Instead of antibiotics, he recommended asthmatics continue to utilize effective new-generation asthma medications. Adult-onset asthma resulting from bacterial infections probably comprise a tiny percentage of asthmatics, said Dr. Clifton Furukawa, a Seattle allergist. He estimated fewer than 10 percent of the asthmatic population may fit into this subset. Any respiratory tract infection causing airway inflammation can trigger an asthma attack or asthma-like symptoms, Boushey added.
Genetic tendencies combined with the onset of allergies cause most cases of actual asthma.
Research to uncover a link between bacterial infections and asthma is ongoing at National Jewish. Antibiotics greatly reduced the asthmatic symptoms in those patients while eliminating the bacteria. Interestingly, asthmatics without any presence of bacteria also experienced fewer asthmatic symptoms after a course of antibiotics. Anti-inflammatory properties inherent in antibiotics may explain reduction in asthmatic symptoms in all patients, researchers postulated.