Dietary zinc deficiency promotes lung infection by Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria -; a leading cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia, according to a new study published Nov. 15 in the journal Nature Microbiology.

Researchers discovered an unexpected link between zinc deficiency, the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-13 (IL-13), and Acinetobacter baumannii lung infection and demonstrated that blocking IL-13 prevented infection-associated death in an animal model. The findings suggest that anti-IL-13 antibodies, which are FDA-approved for use in humans, may protect against bacterial pneumonia in patients with zinc deficiency.