Chemokines and inflammation in the nasal passages of infants with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis.
This study measured chemokines in nasal lavage fluids (NLF) from infants with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis, defined by lung hyperinflation and wheezing. Comparison was made to RSV-positive infants without bronchiolitis and RSV-negative infants with acute respiratory illnesses. RSV-positive illnesses were associated with increased epithelial shedding, increased RANTES/protein ratios, and increased IL-8/protein ratios in NLF compared to RSV-negative illnesses. Among RSV-positive infants, bronchiolitics had greater total cell counts and percentage epithelial cells in NLF than nonbronchiolitics. Bronchiolitics also had roughly twice the NLF RANTES/IL-8 ratio than nonbronchiolitics (P =.043). Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction of nasal epithelium suggested similar RANTES/IL-8 ratio increases among bronchiolitics. A more mildly affected, RSV-positive outpatient population showed none of these differences. We conclude that RSV bronchiolitis is associated with a shift toward relatively more RANTES in nasal secretions of infants sick enough to require hospitalization, and mucosal epithelium may contribute to this process. Similar processes in the lower airways may enhance inflammation due to RANTES-responsive cell types and affect clinical manifestations.
Department of Pediatrics and Center for Environmental Medicine and Lung Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-7220, USA. terry_noah@med.unc.edu
Terry L
TL
Noah
Sally S
SS
Ivins
Paula
P
Murphy
Irina
I
Kazachkova
Billie
B
Moats-Staats
Frederick W
FW
Henderson
D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001990:Bronchiolitis, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D017817:Nasal Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D010045:Outpatients; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000276:immunology; D012260:Ribonucleases
D001798:Blood Proteins; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D047091:Eosinophil Granule Proteins; D016209:Interleukin-8; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012260:Ribonucleases