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A team of researchers from Dalhousie University has found that a protein associated with severe asthma can potentially improve our immune response to respiratory infections, like coronaviruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The scientists used human mast cells -- special immune cells in our airways and other tissues that can help defend against infections -- to see what effect the protein Interleukin-5 (IL-5) would have on the body's ability to fight viruses. Mast cells recognise infection and produce inflammatory agents, including virus-fighting proteins called interferons, to eliminate a pathogen.

The researchers found that during a viral infection, mast cells exposed to IL-5 have a greater ability to survive under harsh conditions and are better prepared to respond to infection, producing much greater amounts of interferons. This means that having IL-5 present and active is likely to boost interferon production and improve our anti-viral response.

The findings, published in The Journal of Asthma and Clinical Immunology (JACI), are important because treatments for severe asthma can include drugs that prevent IL-5 from working since IL-5 is thought to promote allergic asthma and is abundant in patients with severe asthma. When people with severe asthma get a cold or flu, their asthma symptoms can worsen and become life-threatening.

Dr. Jean Marshall, a professor in Dalhousie's Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Dr. Ian Haidl, a senior scientist in her lab, co-authored the report and are available to discuss how this research affects our understanding of how cells and proteins important in allergic disease also help us fight infections.                                                                                       
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Media contact:

Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Dalhousie University
Cell: 1-902-220-0491
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca