Congratulations to Dr. Hannah Rowe who has been selected as an awardee for the Medical Research Foundation, New Investigator Award for her research on Upper respiratory bacterial effects on Influenza virus infection and transmission.

Upper respiratory bacterial effects on influenza virus infection and transmission. (A) Impact of bacterial colonization on viral replication in upper respiratory cells, in a bacterial species and viral strain dependent manner. (B) Direct binding capacity of upper respiratory bacteria and viral strain differences. (C) Environmental stabilization of virus by upper respiratory bacteria. Together these microbe-virus interactions impact the transmission of Influenza A and B viruses through alteration of viral replication kinetics, carriage of viral particles on bacterial surfaces, and bacterial stabilization of influenza viruses against environmental stressors, altering the shedding and acquisition of influenza viruses depending on the microbial community present in the human respiratory tract.