Viral Infection and Respiratory Exacerbation in Children: Results from a Local German Pediatric Exacerbation Cohort
Erwan Sallard,
Frank Schult,
Carolin Baehren,
Eleni Buedding,
Olivier Mboma,
Parviz Ahmad-Nejad,
Beniam Ghebremedhin,
Anja Ehrhardt,
Stefan Wirth,
Malik Aydin
Affiliations
Erwan Sallard
Center for Biomedical Education and Research (ZBAF), Department of Human Medicine, Faculty of Health, Institute of Virology and Microbiology, Witten/Herdecke University, 58453 Witten, Germany
Frank Schult
Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR), Helios University Hospital Wuppertal, Witten/Herdecke University, 42283 Wuppertal, Germany
Carolin Baehren
Laboratory of Experimental Pediatric Pneumology and Allergology, Center for Biomedical Education and Research, Faculty of Health, School of Life Sciences (ZBAF), Witten/Herdecke University, 58455 Witten, Germany
Eleni Buedding
Laboratory of Experimental Pediatric Pneumology and Allergology, Center for Biomedical Education and Research, Faculty of Health, School of Life Sciences (ZBAF), Witten/Herdecke University, 58455 Witten, Germany
Olivier Mboma
Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR), Helios University Hospital Wuppertal, Witten/Herdecke University, 42283 Wuppertal, Germany
Parviz Ahmad-Nejad
Institute for Medical Laboratory Diagnostics, Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR), Helios University Hospital Wuppertal, Witten/Herdecke University, 42283 Wuppertal, Germany
Beniam Ghebremedhin
Institute for Medical Laboratory Diagnostics, Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR), Helios University Hospital Wuppertal, Witten/Herdecke University, 42283 Wuppertal, Germany
Anja Ehrhardt
Center for Biomedical Education and Research (ZBAF), Department of Human Medicine, Faculty of Health, Institute of Virology and Microbiology, Witten/Herdecke University, 58453 Witten, Germany
Stefan Wirth
Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR), Helios University Hospital Wuppertal, Witten/Herdecke University, 42283 Wuppertal, Germany
Malik Aydin
Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR), Helios University Hospital Wuppertal, Witten/Herdecke University, 42283 Wuppertal, Germany
Respiratory viruses play an important role in asthma exacerbation, and early exposure can be involved in recurrent bronchitis and the development of asthma. The exact mechanism is not fully clarified, and pathogen-to-host interaction studies are warranted to identify biomarkers of exacerbation in the early phase. Only a limited number of international exacerbation cohorts were studied. Here, we have established a local pediatric exacerbation study in Germany consisting of children with asthma or chronic, recurrent bronchitis and analyzed the viriome within the nasopharyngeal swab specimens derived from the entire cohort (n = 141). Interestingly, 41% of exacerbated children had a positive test result for human rhinovirus (HRV)/human enterovirus (HEV), and 14% were positive for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). HRV was particularly prevalent in asthmatics (56%), wheezers (50%), and atopic (66%) patients. Lymphocytes were decreased in asthmatics and in HRV-infected subjects, and patients allergic to house dust mites were more susceptible to HRV infection. Our study thus confirms HRV infection as a strong ‘biomarker’ of exacerbated asthma. Further longitudinal studies will show the clinical progress of those children with a history of an RSV or HRV infection. Vaccination strategies and novel treatment guidelines against HRV are urgently needed to protect those high-risk children from a serious course of disease.
