--- description: Latest study underscores the need for more research into electronic cigarettes title: E-Cigs Weaken Immune Systems in Mice, Study Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt828f1d655b71f82b/6987788ecd1bba3a1e6f47f4/e-cig-electronic-cigarette-smoke-4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Research](/tag/research/) ## Research Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # E-Cigs Weaken Immune Systems in Mice, Study Says by [Eliza Gray](/author/eliza-gray/) ## Eliza Gray Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 5, 2015 4:56 PM CUT  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Eliza Gray](/author/eliza-gray/) ## Eliza Gray Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 5, 2015 4:56 PM CUT 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 "undefined"). 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/ "undefined"). 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. ```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":"2026-02-22T04:11:09.214Z","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":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/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"}}] ```