Serious infections caused by bacteria increase by as much as 17% for every 10 degrees the ambient temperature rises, according to a study published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology .
In this way, researchers have verified that the incidence of certain pathologies, such as bladder infections , pneumonia or blood infections , as well as gastrointestinal problems , could increase up to 46% in summer, in the same way that winter is associated with an increase in flu and common colds.
Being aware of this seasonality of bacteria such as Escherichia coli (which causes diarrhea) or Pseudomonas aeruginosa (which causes ear and urinary infections, which is spread especially in lakes and swimming pools) would help prevent summer infections, says epidemiologist Eli N. Perencevich, from the University of Maryland (USA), co-author of the work.
