Detection of rhinovirus in turbinate epithelial cells of chronic sinusitis

Abstract

Background: In contrast to the well-established association of rhinovirus (RV) with acute sinusitis, little is known about the role of RV infections in the pathogenesis of chronic sinusitis. Therefore, we assayed the nasal cavity mucosae of chronic sinusitis patients lacking signs of acute viral infection for the presence of RV.

Methods: Nasal lavage fluids and turbinate epithelial cells from 39 sinusitis patients and 27 control subjects were tested. Turbinate epithelial cells were collected using a Rhino-probe mucosal curette. Picornavirus was assayed by an initial reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and picornavirus-positive samples were assayed by nested reverse-transcription PCR to detect RV.

Results: All lavage fluids from both groups, as well as control epithelial cells, were negative for picornavirus. In contrast, 8 of 39 (21%) epithelial cell samples from sinusitis patients were positive for picornavirus. RV-specific nested-PCR revealed that all eight of these samples were positive for RV.

Conclusion: The detection of RV in the turbinate epithelial cells of chronic sinusitis patients suggests that RV may be important in the pathogenesis of chronic sinusitis.