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Comparative Study
. 2004 Jul;137(1):146-50.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2004.02504.x.

Decreased interferon-gamma response in respiratory syncytial virus compared to other respiratory viral infections in infants

J H Aberle  1 , S W Aberle, W Rebhandl, E Pracher, M Kundi, T Popow-Kraupp
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Decreased interferon-gamma response in respiratory syncytial virus compared to other respiratory viral infections in infants

J H Aberle et al. Clin Exp Immunol. 2004 Jul.

Abstract

An inappropriate interferon-gamma response has been implicated in the pathogenesis of severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract illness (LRTI). To assess whether this is unique for RSV primary LRTI compared to a first non-RSV LRTI, intracellular interferon-gamma was determined by flow cytometry in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 32 infants with a primary RSV infection, 28 with a first non-RSV LRTI due to adenoviral, parainfluenzaviral and rhinoviral infection and 13 healthy infants. Interferon-gamma responses were increased significantly during adenoviral, parainfluenzaviral and the majority of the rhinoviral infections, but remained low during RSV and severe rhinoviral infection. Low interferon-gamma responses were associated with a more severe clinical course of LRTI. This indicates that depending on the nature of the viral pathogen, respiratory virus infections in infants differ significantly with regard to the quantity of the interferon-gamma production and that this may contribute to the clinical course of the disease.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Percentages of IFN-γ-producing (a) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), (b) CD3+ T lymphocytes and (c) total numbers of CD3+ T lymphocytes/µl from infants with acute non-RSV-related lower respiratory tract illness (non-RSV), acute RSV infection (RSV, I) assayed again within 7 days (RSV, II) and from healthy, age-matched controls (control). P-values were calculated with the Mann–Whitney U-test; n.s., not significant.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Representative plots of IFN-γ production in CD3+ T cells upon 6-h whole-blood activation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin within the lymphocyte population from an infant with RSV (a), non-RSV (adenovirus) infection (b) and from a healthy control infant (c).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Percentages of IFN-γ-producing PBMC from (a) infants infected with RSV, adenovirus (Ad), parainfluenzavirus (PIV) and rhinovirus (RV) and (b) infants with mild and severe RSV and RV illness. P-values were calculated with the Mann–Whitney U-test; n.s., not significant.
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