Comparison of cytokine expression profiles in infants with a rhinovirus induced lower respiratory tract infection with or without wheezing: a comparison with respiratory syncytial virus

Roh, Da Eun; Park, Sook-Hyun; Choi, Hee Joung; Kim, Yeo Hyang

IFN-γ is a pro-inflammatory and immune-regulatory cytokine related to nonspecific defense mechanism. It is secreted from neutrophils at the site of the viral infection, and inhibits viral replication 11) . Infants hospi talized with severe RSV disease had a reduction in IFN-γ levels in nasopharyngeal aspirates and a decreased expression of IFN-γ by peripheral blood mononuclear cells 16, 17) . In addition, IFN-γ can induce airway hyper-responsiveness and tends to aid in the develop ment of wheezing 18) . A previous study also demonstrated that the expression levels of IFN-γ were higher at the time of RV infection and played an important role in RV-induced early wheezing 18) . The present study showed that IFN-γ levels had not only RSV induced LRTI with or without wheezing but also RV induced LRTI with wheezing like the previous studies. IFN-γ showed a significant rela tion to wheezing in RV-induced LRTI.