title: Effect of rhinovirus 39 infection on cellular immune parameters in allergic and nonallergic subjects.
abstract: Patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), compared with nonallergic persons, have been reported to respond differently to a variety of stimuli, some of which are immunologic in nature. This study compared the systemic cellular immune responses to experimental rhinovirus (RV) 39 challenge in RV-39-seronegative AR (n = 20) and nonallergic (n = 18) subjects. Peripheral blood was obtained before, 4 or 7 days after, and 23 days after RV-39 intranasal challenge and assayed for the number and function of various white blood cells. All subjects were infected, as manifested by viral shedding in nasal secretions or seroconversion. RV-39 induced marked changes from baseline values in both immune cell number and functions. Compared with nonallergic subjects, AR subjects manifested different responses for the following parameters: (1) numbers of total white blood cells and lymphocytes (smaller increases on day 4), (2) helper/suppressor T cell ratio (absence of an increase on day 7 and presence of an increase on day 23), (3) number of IL-2 receptor-positive suppressor T cells (presence of a decrease on day 7), (4) natural killer (NK) cell numbers (absence of an increase on day 4 and presence of increases on days 7 and 23), (5) NK/T cell ratio (absence of an increase on day 4 and a decrease on day 7), (6) NK cell activity (a blunted decrease on day 7 and absence of a decrease on day 23), and (7) RV-39-induced lymphocyte proliferation (exaggerated increase on day 4). The results show that intranasal challenge with RV-39 induced RV-39-specific and nonspecific systemic cellular immune responses and a unique immunologic response pattern in AR subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Skoner
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Whiteside
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Herberman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fireman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D002648:Child; D003139:Common Cold / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000502:physiology; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D012229:Rhinovirus