TITLE:
Cytokine responses in infants infected with respiratory syncytial virus
AUTHORS:
Morten Breindahl, Klaus Rieneck, Claus Nielsen, Tage Justesen, Klaus Bendtzen, Klaus Müller
KEYWORDS:
Respiratory Syncytial Virus; Bronchiolitis; Inflammation; Cytokines; Infants Aged 0 - 3 Years
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Immunology,
Vol.2 No.1,
March
19,
2012
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Variability in severity of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infection is reportedly due to differences in inflammatory response. Objective: To characterize the cytokine response in RSV+ infants aged 0 - 36 months and to relate their responses to disease severity. Methods: Nasopharyngeal aspirations (NPAs) were analyzed for RSV and IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-1RA, IL-4R, IFN-γ, sTNFR1, sTNFR2, and TNF-α. Clinical data were collected from the medical records. Results: We included 331 infants of whom 214 were RSV+. In comparison to RSV- infants, they had significantly higher levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and IFN-γ (p α, IL-6, and IL-1β. sTNFR1/2 were significantly increased in RSV+ infants. Hospitalized patients had significantly higher levels of TNF-α, sTNFR2, and IL-10 (p