00:00Scientists at the University of Michigan have challenged a 100-year-old belief about lung
00:05bacteria. The study focused on Prevotella melaninogenica, a common bacterium found in
00:11the respiratory tract. Scientists had long classified it as an obligate anaerobe, meaning
00:16it could not survive around oxygen. But new experiments produced a surprising result.
00:21The bacteria grew at oxygen concentrations between 5 and 8 percent. They also briefly
00:27survived exposure to oxygen levels as high as 21 percent. Prevotella makes up about 10 percent of
00:33microbial populations in healthy lungs. That figure can reach roughly 13 percent in people
00:39with respiratory disease. Researchers say the findings could change how oxygen tolerance is
00:44understood. The team will next study its interactions with the immune system and chronic lung disease.
00:49Disclosure. This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools
00:55AI-generated.
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