--- title: Electronic Cigarettes: E-Cigs Increase Flu Risk in Mice description: Latest study underscores the need for more research into electronic cigarettes canonical: https://time.com/3697265/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigs-mice/ author: Eliza Gray article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-05T16:56:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:58.167Z article:section: Health og:title: E-Cigs Weaken Immune Systems in Mice, Study Says og:description: Latest study underscores the need for more research into electronic cigarettes og:url: https://time.com/3697265/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigs-mice/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt828f1d655b71f82b/6987788ecd1bba3a1e6f47f4/e-cig-electronic-cigarette-smoke-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos E-Cig Electronic Cigarette Smoke og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: E-Cigs Weaken Immune Systems in Mice, Study Says twitter:description: Latest study underscores the need for more research into electronic cigarettes twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt828f1d655b71f82b/6987788ecd1bba3a1e6f47f4/e-cig-electronic-cigarette-smoke-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # E-Cigs Weaken Immune Systems in Mice, Study Says > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=39cfbfa7-4172-49b7-b1b0-9bb9e5f69244&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch: The Rise of E-Cigarettes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch: The Rise of E-Cigarettes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bo5A95r5.m3u8) (2:02)  _Published 2013-12-27. A look at the rise of the e-cigarette market and why it's so divisive for many._ by [Eliza Gray](https://time.com/author/eliza-gray/) ## Eliza Gray Feb 5, 2015 4:56 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Eliza Gray](https://time.com/author/eliza-gray/) ## Eliza Gray Feb 5, 2015 4:56 PM UTC Electronic cigarettes can weaken the immune response in mice, putting them at higher risk for infections like the flu or strep, [a new study finds](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0116861). The researchers exposed mice to e-cig vapor at comparable concentrations to human users for two weeks. The researchers then exposed the mice to strep and flu, comparing their responses to mice that hadn’t been exposed to the e-cig vapor. The results showed that the mice exposed to e-cig vapor had weakened immune defenses in their lungs and were more susceptible to the infections. The mice exposed to the flu virus were more likely to contract the illness and to die from it. **MORE**: [What to Know About the Science of E-cigarettes](http://time.com/3678402/electronic-cigarettes-ecigs-health-science-research/). The study looked only at mice, not at humans, but the results underscore the need for further research into the effects of e-cigarettes on humans. “E-cig exposure as an alternative to cigarette smoking must be rigorously tested in users for their effects on immune response and susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections,” wrote the authors of the study published in the peer-reviewed journal, _PLOS ONE_. Lead author Thomas Sussan is a scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. ## Transcript [00:00] >>I always work when I work. They go together. [00:04] >>In the 1950's cigarette ads were all about being [00:07] manly and about being in control. Eventually, the ads [00:11] were banned because smoking is a health risk. Now, [00:14] with the E- cigarettes the marketing is back wherever [00:17] you go. It seems vaping is involved-- with some 7 [00:21] million Europeans making a switch. It's called Vaping [00:25] because the liquid nicotine, which is founded here [00:27] vaporizes when you press this button. Now, even [00:30] though there is no tar and no smoke, there are still [00:33] nicotine, which is the addictive part. Yet, E- cigarette [00:36] advocates say this is healthier, the one of these. [00:40] >>Really not a problem. The research demonstrates [00:42] that the side stream vapor is not an issue. There are [00:44] no sort of carcinogens being carried around in that, [00:47] certainly nothing on a [ unk ] with what we see with [00:49] tobacco smoking and second- hand smoke. [00:50] >>There's a new spin in an old habit is a marketing [00:54] gold mine. The E- cigarette market is valued at [00:58] $ 2 billion. With the United States accounted for a [01:02] quarter over sales, then there is a potential [01:06] for growth with the industry expected to outperform [01:09] traditional tobacco within 10 years. While this [01:13] is igniting worries that will pick up new addicts along [01:16] the way, already we're seeing celebrities leading the [01:19] craze. [01:20] >>You're awfully good with that. [01:22] >>The E- cigarettes are being presented as this new [01:24] trending product. The later thing that people are trying [01:27] in social environments they're referring to celebrities [01:31] using them, so we're very concern that possibly by [01:35] seeing all this exposure to E- cigarette marketing, the [01:39] lines are being blurred. And that message that [01:41] smoking kills will get lost. [01:45] >>As the health debate burns in the background [01:47] businesses are waiting for a verdict. Here at Heathrow, [01:51] they have launched the first ever Vaping zone, allowing [01:54] passengers a final puff before boarding. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3697265/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigs-mice/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3697265/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigs-mice/"},"headline":"E-Cigs Weaken Immune Systems in Mice, Study Says","datePublished":"2015-02-05T16:56:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:59:58.167Z","description":"Latest study underscores the need for more research into electronic cigarettes","url":"https://time.com/3697265/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigs-mice/","keywords":["Research","Electronic Cigarettes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt828f1d655b71f82b/6987788ecd1bba3a1e6f47f4/e-cig-electronic-cigarette-smoke-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Gray","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-gray/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt828f1d655b71f82b/6987788ecd1bba3a1e6f47f4/e-cig-electronic-cigarette-smoke-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock photos E-Cig Electronic Cigarette Smoke","caption":"TIME.com stock photos E-Cig Electronic Cigarette Smoke","creditText":"Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3697265/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigs-mice/","name":"E-Cigs Weaken Immune Systems in Mice, Study Says"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch: The Rise of E-Cigarettes","description":"A look at the rise of the e-cigarette market and why it's so divisive for many.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/bo5A95r5/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2013-12-27T16:26:24.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bo5A95r5.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3697265/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigs-mice/","duration":"PT2M2S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3697265/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigs-mice/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```