Cytokine profile of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from a mouse model of bronchial asthma during seasonal H1N1 infection.

BACKGROUND: Several studies support the role of viral infections in the pathogenesis of asthma exacerbation. However, several pediatricians believe that influenza virus infection does not exacerbate bronchial asthma, except for influenza A H1N1 2009 pandemic [A(H1N1)pdm09] virus infection. We previously reported that A(H1N1)pdm09 infection possibly induces severe pulmonary inflammation or severe asthmatic attack in a mouse model of bronchial asthma and in asthmatic children. However, the ability of seasonal H1N1 influenza (H1N1) infection to exacerbate asthmatic attacks in bronchial asthma patients has not been previously reported, and the differences in the pathogenicity profiles, such as cytokine profiles, remains unclear in bronchial asthma patients after A(H1N1)pdm09 and H1N1 infections.

METHODS: The cytokine levels and viral titers in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from mice with and without asthma after H1N1 infection (A/Yamagata and A/Puerto Rico strains) were compared.

RESULTS: The interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-5, interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-β, and IFN-γ levels were significantly higher in the BAL fluids from the control/H1N1 mice than from the asthmatic/H1N1 mice. The viral titers in the BAL fluid were also significantly higher in the control/H1N1mice than in the asthmatic/H1N1 mice infected with either A/Yamagata or A/Puerto Rico.

CONCLUSIONS: A(H1N1)pdm09 infection, but not H1N1 infection, can induce severe pulmonary inflammation through elevated cytokine levels in a mouse model of asthma.