Airway response to respiratory syncytial virus has incidental antibacterial effects

Charles J. Sande (), James M. Njunge, Joyce Mwongeli Ngoi, Martin N. Mutunga, Timothy Chege, Elijah T. Gicheru, Elizabeth M. Gardiner, Agnes Gwela, Christopher A. Green, Simon B. Drysdale, James A. Berkley, D. James Nokes and Andrew J. Pollard
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Charles J. Sande: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
James M. Njunge: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Joyce Mwongeli Ngoi: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Martin N. Mutunga: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Timothy Chege: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Elijah T. Gicheru: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Elizabeth M. Gardiner: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Agnes Gwela: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Christopher A. Green: University of Oxford, and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford
Simon B. Drysdale: University of Oxford, and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford
James A. Berkley: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
D. James Nokes: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Andrew J. Pollard: University of Oxford, and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract RSV infection is typically associated with secondary bacterial infection. We hypothesise that the local airway immune response to RSV has incidental antibacterial effects. Using coordinated proteomics and metagenomics analysis we simultaneously analysed the microbiota and proteomes of the upper airway and determined direct antibacterial activity in airway secretions of RSV-infected children. Here, we report that the airway abundance of Streptococcus was higher in samples collected at the time of RSV infection compared with samples collected one month later. RSV infection is associated with neutrophil influx into the airway and degranulation and is marked by overexpression of proteins with known antibacterial activity including BPI, EPX, MPO and AZU1. Airway secretions of children infected with RSV, have significantly greater antibacterial activity compared to RSV-negative controls. This RSV-associated, neutrophil-mediated antibacterial response in the airway appears to act as a regulatory mechanism that modulates bacterial growth in the airways of RSV-infected children.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10222-z

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