The Journal of the American Medical Association has published a new study that has claimed that respiratory infections in healthy adults have a direct association with a biological marker's length. Sheldon Cohen, Ph. D. and colleagues at the Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, had conducted the study.

They said that the ones with telomeres shorter in lengths in some cells were at higher risks of getting an upper respiratory infection. Telomere is a structure at the chromosome's end, the report has found in the meantime. These individuals were also administered a cold virus. In comparison to them, the risks were low in the partakers with longer telomeres.

As many as 152 healthy people were recruited and they were given nasal drops containing rhinovirus 39 in their own staying room. Some 69% developed respiratory infections.

It has been informed that telomeres tend to become short in length when cells divide. During cell division, telomeres act as protective caps that stop genomic DNA erosion. But their shortening in the white blood cells
(leukocytes) means weak reaction of antibody to vaccines. Also, the same hints immunocompetece.

However, it is yet to be found if the leukocyte telomeres' length affects healthy younger people with acute disease. "Shorter leukocyte telomere length also is associated with aging-related illness and death from conditions with immune system involvement, including infectious diseases, cancer, and cardiovascular disease", said the team.