Lack of Induction by Rhinoviruses of Systemic Type I Interferon Production or Enhanced MxA Protein Expression During the Common Cold

Mäkelä, M. J.; Halminen, M.; Ruuskanen, O.; Puhakka, T.; Pirhonen, J.; Julkunen, I.; Ilonen, J.

To study whether MxA protein expression is systemically upregulated during rhinovirus infection, blood specimens were collected from 40 patients with common cold and MxA expression in mononuclear cells analyzed by flow cytometry. None of the patients with a confirmed rhinovirus infection (n=15) or with an infection of unknown etiology (n=20) had elevated expression of the MxA protein (median fluorescence intensity, 549 and 582, respectively) when compared to healthy controls (n=11, median 590). Patients with influenza infections had significantly elevated values (n=5, median 750), and interferon could be detected only in serum samples from influenza patients. In conclusion, expression of MxA in blood lymphocytes and an apparently systemic type I interferon response is not induced during rhinovirus infection or during most other cases of common cold in young adult patients.