E-Cigarettes Increase Virulence of Drug-Resistant Bacteria--But Still Better Than Regular Tobacco

Are e-cigarettes good or bad for you? Scientists have found that these devices appear to increase the virulence of drug-resistant and potentially life-threatening bacteria, while decreasing the ability of human cells to kill these bacteria.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding e-cigarettes lately. While one recent study points to the fact that these devices can help smokers quit, others point to the fact that the liquid nicotine cartridges associated with e-cigarettes can lead to poisonings. E-cigarettes, since they're reusable, might also cultivate bacteria. That's why researchers took a closer look at the effects of nicotine vapor on bacteria.

The researchers tested the effects of e-cigarette vapor on live methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and human epithelial cells. MRSA commonly colonizes the epithelium of the nasopharynx, where the bacteria are exposed constantly to inhaled substances.

So what did they find? It turns out that the vapor increases to the virulence of the MRSA. It's possible that the rapid change in pH from the e-cigarette vapor could be to blame. This change in pH stresses the cells and gives them a danger signal, leading to activation of defense mechanisms. That said, e-cigarettes are still better than cigarettes. Cigarette smoke induces surface charge changes 10-fold greater than of e-cigarette exposure, alters hydrophobicity and decreases sensitivity to reactive oxygen species and antimicrobial peptides.

"As health care professionals, we are always being asked by patients, 'Would this be better for me?'" said Crotty Alexander, one of the researchers, in a news release. "In the case of smoking e-cigarettes, I hated not having an answer. While the answer isn't black and white, our study suggests a response: even if e-cigarettes may not be as bad as tobacco, they still have measurable detrimental effects on health."

The findings reveal that switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes may just be a wise move. That said, e-cigarettes still increase the virulence of MRSA, so it's important to keep that in mind when deciding whether to quit altogether.