This is the process. Bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae stick to the respiratory mucosa Bacteria divide and colonise the mucosa (forming a microbiome) Bacteria are coughed up in sputum Sputum is swallowed, therefore bacteria are swallowed Most bacteria are simply digested in the stomach A small percentage make it through to the small intestine These bacteria are taken up by immune lymphoid tissue in the wall of the small intestine called Peyer’s patches Peyer’s patches recognise these bacteria as foreign Peyer’s patches produce a form of T helper cell to combat the infection These newly formed T cells migrate in the blood to the lungs, then into the lung mucosa Here the new T helper cells ‘help’ the activation of immune responses such as the formation of more neutrophils These neutrophils are phagocytic, they eat any foreign material, such as any bacteria and any virus. They are not fussy eaters; they eat any antigen. The person now enjoys ‘learned innate immunity’ As bacteria and viruses are eaten and internally digested in the upper part of the lungs, they are dead, so cannot migrate down to infect the alveoli, the gaseous exchange structures. As the alveoli are not infected, they do not become inflamed, therefore they do not fill up with inflammatory fluid leading to a consolidated pneumonia As these thin-walled alveoli are not infected, the viruses and bacteria are not present, so do not migrate into the blood leading to systemic illness. Therefore, in short, the person stays well As the T cells are very powerful stimulants of immunity and inflammation, we do not want them hanging around for a long time, therefore they are short lived in the lungs However, the neutrophils they have stimulated self-perpetuate over a longer period of time (probably about 10 months) This means the upper airways are patrolled and protected for months after an episode of T cell stimulation As the upper airways are kept clear of viruses and bacteria the lower airways are protected from descending infection Therefore, infections such as influenza or covid may present as mild or even asymptomatic Such a protected person is therefore able to ‘compartmentalise’ the infection in the upper airways, preventing it from descending to the lower alveoli Physiologically, this system is protective but imperfect, for example a lot of the bacteria are digested in the stomach This means some people will be well protected from severe disease after covid or influenza infection, while others are not Giving an optimised strain of Haemophilus influenzae as an Immunobiotic can enhance the efficiency of this natural physiological system The administered Haemophilus influenzae is killed, so cannot reproduce to cause disease The administered Haemophilus influenzae is enteric coated, so it will be protected as it passes through the stomach, meaning it will reach the small intestine in large numbers This will provide lots of stimulation to the Peyer’s patches This is not a vaccination, it is an augmentation of a completely natural physiological system A tablet could probably be taken before every winter as an OTC (over the counter medication) Millions of acute exacerbations (going to the lungs) could be prevented The tablet would cost very little as an OTC, it’s just dead bugs Free textbook download, https://drjohncampbell.co.uk/