Effects of tobacco smoke inhaltion on the tracheo-bronchial microflora of rats

The purpose of work was to study the effects of tobacco smoke on the airway flora in rats. A study on the regional distribution, total numbers and composition of the flora suggested the following: (a) Subacute smoke exposure intensified the penetration of the flora into deeper, normally sterile portions of the airways. (b) On smoking, the predominantly D. pneumoniae type flora of normal rats was found to shift to a form in which Hemophilus sp. was most frequent. (c) Exposure to low or high nicotine content cigarettes did not particularly modify these results.