The impact of respiratory virus infections on global health is felt not just during a pandemic, but endemic seasonal infections pose an equal and ongoing risk of severe disease. Moreover, vaccines and antiviral drugs are not always effective or available for many respiratory viruses. We investigated how induction of effective and appropriate antigen-independent innate immunity in the upper airways can prevent the spread of respiratory virus infection to the vulnerable lower airways. Activation of TLR2, when restricted to the nasal turbinates, resulted in prompt induction of innate immune–driven antiviral responses through action of cytokines, chemokines, and cellular activity in the upper but not the lower airways. We have defined how nasal epithelial cells and recruitment of macrophages work in concert and play pivotal roles to limit progression of influenza virus to the lungs and sustain protection for up to 7 days. These results reveal underlying mechanisms of how control of viral infection in the upper airways can occur and support the implementation of strategies that can activate TLR2 in nasal passages to provide rapid protection, especially for at-risk populations, against severe respiratory infection when vaccines and antiviral drugs are not always effective or available.
Georgia Deliyannis, Chinn Yi Wong, Hayley A. McQuilten, Annabell Bachem, Michele Clarke, Xiaoxiao Jia, Kylie Horrocks, Weiguang Zeng, Jason Girkin, Nichollas E. Scott, Sarah L. Londrigan, Patrick C. Reading, Nathan W. Bartlett, Katherine Kedzierska, Lorena E. Brown, Francesca Mercuri, Christophe Demaison, David C. Jackson, Brendon Y. Chua
This file is in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. If you have not installed and configured the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your system.
PDFs are designed to be printed out and read, but if you prefer to read them online, you may find it easier if you increase the view size to 125%.
Many versions of the free Acrobat Reader do not allow Save. You must instead save the PDF from the JCI Online page you downloaded it from. PC users: Right-click on the Download link and choose the option that says something like "Save Link As...". Mac users should hold the mouse button down on the link to get these same options.