Virus and cystic fibrosis: Rhinoviruses are associated with exacerbations in adult patients

Abstract

HRV were the most frequently detected viruses; their detection was significantly associated with the occurrence of an exacerbation. The reality of viral recombination between HRV was demonstrated in CF patients for the first time, raising the role of viruses in lung microbiota. Further studies are now warranted to decipher virus impact in CF.

Pathogenicity of individual rhinovirus species during exacerbations of cystic fibrosis

“…The proportion of patients identified as being HRV positive was lower than other recently published data [4,5]. This may be, in part, due to the absence of additional nose and sputum samples collected in other studies [4].…”

“…The group identified HRV-C in only 4.8% of patients. In contrast, GOFFARD et al [5] detected HRV-C in 44% of pulmonary exacerbations, although the numbers were small. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative prevalence of HRV species in throat swabs taken from a large cohort of adult CF patients, who were starting on i.v.…”

“…Viruses have been identified in up to 60% of CF related pulmonary exacerbations with a higher prevalence in children [2][3][4][5]. FLIGHT et al [4] identified viruses in 40% of exacerbations in adult patients with CF; viral PCR was performed on nasal, throat, and sputum specimens.…”

“…With intrathoracic phrenic stimulation, electrodes are implanted around the phrenic nerves in the thorax (Avery Biomedical, Commack, NY, USA; and Atrotech, Tampere, Finland). Nerve dissection during a video-assisted mini-thoracotomy allows intimate contact of the stimulating electrodes with the nerve [5]. Stimulating currents typically range between 0.3-3.5 mA [6].…”

“…Stimulating currents typically range between 5-20 mA. In quadriplegic patients, intradiaphragmatic phrenic stimulation is effective [7] and has been advocated as easier to implement and less expensive than its intrathoracic counterpart [5]. In patients who retain spontaneous diaphragm activity, this approach is appealing because it is devoid of the theoretical risk of procedure-induced phrenic nerve damage associated with the intrathoracic route.…”