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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Christopher WardORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
© 2023 The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology.The lungs have their own microbiota which seems to be altered in disease processes such as asthma. Viral infection accounts for many asthma exacerbations. Little is known about the lung virome, and the role that viruses play in non-exacerbating asthmatics. We aimed to assess if detection of virus in bronchoscopy samples of asthmatic patients in a non-exacerbating state influences their asthma control and modulates airway cytokine composition. Patients were recruited from a specialist asthma clinic and underwent bronchoscopy with standardised bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Viral analysis was performed; cell differential and cytokine levels were measured. Forty-six samples were obtained of which 10.8% demonstrated evidence of airway virus, and 91.3% of patients in the cohort were classed as severe asthmatics. Oral steroid use was significantly higher in severe asthmatic patients with virus detected, and the forced expiratory volume in one second tended to be lower in the virus-detected group. It was also found that BAL interleukin-13 and tumor necrosis factor-α levels were significantly higher in severe asthmatic patients with virus detected. Our results suggest that in severe asthmatics in a non-exacerbating state, the presence of virus resulted in overall poorer asthma control. The pattern of cytokine elevation seen in asthmatic patients with virus detected may provide insight to the pathophysiology involved.
Author(s): Walsh LJ, Sullivan A, Ward C, Fanning LJ, O'Byrne PM, MacSharry JA, Murphy DM
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Research
Year: 2023
Volume: 15
Issue: 3
Pages: 406-411
Print publication date: 01/05/2023
Online publication date: 09/01/2023
Acceptance date: 25/10/2022
Date deposited: 13/06/2023
ISSN (print): 2092-7355
ISSN (electronic): 2092-7363
Publisher: Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology
URL: https://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2023.15.3.406
DOI: 10.4168/aair.2023.15.3.406
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