Loading...
How are rhinoviruses able to cause the common cold when they are unable to damage nasal epithelium? The answer may provide important leads for new therapies. A recent study suggests this process might involve virus-induced release of the neutrophil chemoattractant interleukin-8 (IL-8).
Normal healthy subjects were challenged intranasally with rhinovirus type 23 or sham virus. Fifty-four individuals who received virus were found to have significantly increased levels of IL-8 in nasal washings compared with the 20 sham-challenged controls at two, three, and four days after infection. A statistically significant correlation was found between IL-8 concentrations and symptom severity scores. Although the methylxanthine drug pentoxifylline inhibit…