Similar cytokine profiles in response to infection with respiratory syncytial virus type a and type B in the upper respiratory tract in infants

Abstract

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading viral cause of severe respiratory illness in infants and young children worldwide. RSV isolates can be divided into 2 subgroups, type A and type B. Here, we compare for the first time the nasal profiles of 27 immune mediators in response to both viral subtypes in 14 children infected with RSV/A, 8 children infected with RSV/B, 11 children coinfected with RSV/A plus other respiratory viruses, and finally, 27 control children, all <2 years old. Our results evidence that children's infection with both RSV subtypes induces very similar profiles of immune mediators in the upper respiratory tract, characterized by the elevation of Th1 and Th2 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. Interestingly, no major differences in the profiles of the immune mediators were found between the children infected exclusively with RSV/A and those infected with RSV/A plus other respiratory viruses.