High Pulmonary Levels of IL-6 and IL-1ß in Children with Chronic Suppurative Lung Disease Are Associated with Low Systemic IFN-? Production in Response to Non-Typeable Haemophilus influenzae

Pizzutto, Susan J.; Upham, John W.; Yerkovich, Stephanie T.; Chang, Anne B.

An alternative explanation for our finding regarding the association between increased local (BAL) inflammation and the poorer systemic adaptive response is that insufficient IFN-γ may contribute to increased susceptibility to infections with NTHi and subsequently a heightened state of local inflammation. There is increasing evidence to indicate that a strong systemic IFNγ response is associated with protective immunity against NTHi [5, 8] An impaired ability to produce sufficient IFN-γ in response to a challenge by NTHi may lead to an increased susceptibility to respiratory infections and prolonged inflammation due to ineffective clearing mechanisms. While the current cross-sectional study has found no relation between NTHispecific IFN-γ production and severity of bronchiectasis, resolving this issue will require prospective studies examining the relationship between capacity for IFN-γ production and clinical outcomes.