Published ahead of print on July 31, 2003, doi:10.1164/rccm.200212-1520OC
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 168. pp. 1174-1180, (2003)
© 2003 American Thoracic Society
Are Rhinovirus-induced Airway Responses in Asthma Aggravated by Chronic Allergen Exposure?
Josephine de Kluijver,
Christine E. Evertse,
Jacob K. Sont,
Jasmijn A. Schrumpf,
Christel J. G. van Zeijl-van der Ham,
Claire R. Dick,
Klaus F. Rabe,
Pieter S. Hiemstra and
Peter J. Sterk
Departments of Pulmonology, Medical Decision Making, and Virology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; and Respiratory Virus Research Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Peter J. Sterk, M.D., Ph.D., Lung Function Laboratory, C2-P, Leiden University Medical Center, P.O. Box 9600, NL-2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands. E-mail: p.j.sterk{at}lumc.nl
Airway inflammation in asthma may represent a favorable environment for respiratory viral infections, augmenting virus-induced exacerbations in asthma. We postulated that repeated low-dose allergen exposure preceding experimental rhinovirus 16 (RV16) infection increases the severity of RV-induced airway obstruction and inflammation. Thirty-six house dust miteallergic patients with mild to moderate asthma participated in a three-arm, parallel, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Patients inhaled a low dose of house dust mite allergen for 10 subsequent working days (Days 15 and 812) and/or were subsequently infected with RV16 (Days 15 and 16). Allergen exposure resulted in a significant fall in FEV1 (p < 0.001) and provocative concentration of histamine causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (p < 0.001) and an increase in exhaled nitric oxide (p < 0.001) and percentage of sputum eosinophils (p < 0.001). RV16 infection led to a fall in FEV1 (p = 0.02) and increases in the percentage of sputum neutrophils (p = 0.01), sputum interleukin-8 (p = 0.04), and neutrophil elastase (p = 0.04). Successive allergen exposure and RV16 infection had no synergistic or additive effect on any of the clinical or inflammatory outcomes. In conclusion, repeated low-dose allergen exposure and RV16 infection induce distinct inflammatory profiles within the airways in asthma without apparent interaction between these two environmental triggers. This suggests that preceding allergen exposure, at the used dose and duration, is not a determinant of the severity of RV-induced exacerbations in patients with mild to moderate asthma.
Key Words: asthma exacerbation airway hyperresponsiveness inflammation sputum nasal lavage fluid
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. C. Newcomb and R. S. Peebles Jr.
Bugs and Asthma: A Different Disease?
Proceedings of the ATS,
May 1, 2009;
6(3):
266 - 271.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. A. Schaller, L. E. Kallal, and N. W. Lukacs
A Key Role for CC Chemokine Receptor 1 in T-Cell-Mediated Respiratory Inflammation
Am. J. Pathol.,
February 1, 2008;
172(2):
386 - 394.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. Proud and C.-W. Chow
Role of Viral Infections in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol.,
November 1, 2006;
35(5):
513 - 518.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
E. Hartmann, H. Graefe, A. Hopert, R. Pries, S. Rothenfusser, H. Poeck, B. Mack, S. Endres, G. Hartmann, and B. Wollenberg
Analysis of Plasmacytoid and Myeloid Dendritic Cells in Nasal Epithelium
Clin. Vaccine Immunol.,
November 1, 2006;
13(11):
1278 - 1286.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
P A B Wark and P G Gibson
Asthma exacerbations {middle dot} 3: Pathogenesis.
Thorax,
October 1, 2006;
61(10):
909 - 915.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
E. Ihre, P. Gyllfors, L. E. Gustafsson, M. Kumlin, and B. Dahlen
Early rise in exhaled nitric oxide and mast cell activation in repeated low-dose allergen challenge
Eur. Respir. J.,
June 1, 2006;
27(6):
1152 - 1159.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
C S Murray, G Poletti, T Kebadze, J Morris, A Woodcock, S L Johnston, and A Custovic
Study of modifiable risk factors for asthma exacerbations: virus infection and allergen exposure increase the risk of asthma hospital admissions in children
Thorax,
May 1, 2006;
61(5):
376 - 382.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. Bush
Update in pediatrics 2005.
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.,
March 15, 2006;
173(6):
585 - 592.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. J. Tobin
Asthma, Airway Biology, and Nasal Disorders in AJRCCM 2003
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.,
January 15, 2004;
169(2):
265 - 276.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. L. Johnston
Experimental Models of Rhinovirus-induced Exacerbations of Asthma: Where to Now?
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.,
November 15, 2003;
168(10):
1145 - 1146.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
Copyright © 2003 American Thoracic Society
|
|
|