Early-life Pulmonary Viral Infection Leads to Long-term Functional and lower airway Structural changes in the lungs

Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2024 Jan 30. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00300.2023. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTEarly-life respiratory virus infections have been correlated with enhanced development of childhood asthma. In particular, significant numbers of RSV-hospitalized infants go on to develop lung disease. It has been suggested that early-life viral infections may lead to altered lung development or repair that negatively impacts lung function later in life. Our data demonstrate that early-life RSV infection modifies lung structure, leading to decreased lung function. At 5 weeks post-neonatal RSV infection, significant defects are observed in baseline pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters consistent with decreased lung function as well as enlarged alveolar spaces. Lung function changes in the early-life RSV-infected group continue at 3 months of age. The altered PFT and structural changes induced by early-life RSV were mitigated in TSLPR-/- mice that have previously been shown to have reduced immune cell accumulation associated with a persistent Th2 environment. Importantly, long-term effects were demonstrated using a secondary RSV infection 3 months following the initial early-life RSV infection and led to significant additional defects in lung function, with severe mucus deposition within the airways, and consolidation of the alveolar spaces. These studies suggest that early-life respiratory viral infection leads to alterations in lung structure/repair that predisp...
Source: Am J Physiol Lung Ce... - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Source Type: research