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Influenza A facilitates sensitization to house dust mite in infant mice leading to an asthma phenotype in adulthood

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Author

  • A. Al-Garawi
  • R. Fattouh
  • F. Botelho
  • T. D. Walker
  • S. Goncharova
  • C-L Moore
  • Michiko Mori
  • Jonas Erjefält
  • D. K. Chu
  • A. A. Humbles
  • R. Kolbeck
  • M. R. Stampfli
  • P. M. O'Byrne
  • A. J. Coyle
  • M. Jordana
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Summary, in English

The origins of allergic asthma, particularly in infancy, remain obscure. Respiratory viral infections and allergen sensitization in early life have been associated with asthma in young children. However, a causal link has not been established. We investigated whether an influenza A infection in early life alters immune responses to house dust mite (HDM) and promotes an asthmatic phenotype later in life. Neonatal (8-day-old) mice were infected with influenza virus and 7 days later, exposed to HDM for 3 weeks. Unlike adults, neonatal mice exposed to HDM exhibited negligible immune responsiveness to HDM, but not to influenza A. HDM responsiveness in adults was associated with distinct Ly6c(+) CD11b(+) inflammatory dendritic cell and CD8 alpha(+) plasmacytoid (pDC) populations that were absent in HDM-exposed infant mice, suggesting an important role in HDM-mediated inflammation. Remarkably, HDM hyporesponsiveness was overcome when exposure occurred concurrently with an acute influenza infection; young mice now displayed robust allergen-specific immunity, allergic inflammation, and lung remodeling. Remodeling persisted into early adulthood, even after prolonged discontinuation of allergen exposure and was associated with marked impairment of lung function. Our data demonstrate that allergen exposure coincident with acute viral infection in early life subverts constitutive allergen hyporesponsiveness and imprints an asthmatic phenotype in adulthood.

Publishing year

2011

Language

English

Pages

682-694

Publication/Series

Mucosal Immunology

Volume

4

Issue

6

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Topic

  • Immunology in the medical area

Status

Published

Research group

  • Airway Inflammation and Immunology

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1933-0219