They find risk factors for respiratory infection in premature babies

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Spanish scientists discover that respiratory viral infections to which newborn premature babies are very vulnerable are associated with a greater presence of the filaggrin protein in the nasopharyngeal area.

They find risk factors for respiratory infection in premature babies

Premature babies are more likely to have health problems than full-term babies. New research has identified a protein that could be a risk factor for developing viral respiratory infections, which are common in these children and can have detrimental effects on their long-term health.

Specifically, researchers have found that gene and protein deregulation of the filaggrin molecule –responsible for regulating the lung barrier– could be related to a higher risk of this type of infection. In addition, they have also identified that higher levels of certain molecules that induce inflammatory antiviral responses are associated with a greater vulnerability to infection in these newborns.

The study was carried out by a team from the Center for Networked Biomedical Research (CIBER) at the Health Research Institute of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation (IIS-FJD) and at the La Paz-IdiPaz University Hospital, in collaboration with the National of Microbiology, dependent on the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), and the Severo Ochoa University Hospital.

Respiratory infections in babies affect their long-term health

Premature babies are especially prone to contracting viral respiratory infections, which can also negatively affect their health in the medium and long term and are an independent risk factor for developing asthma and recurrent wheezing later on, and contribute to bronchiolitis and bronchospasms. during early childhood.

“Nasopharyngeal samples from premature infants who developed respiratory viral infections had higher levels of free filaggrin, compared to newborns who were never infected.”

The immune response and respiratory barriers are fundamental in the defense against viral infections that threaten premature babies admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU), but the immune response against viral respiratory infections and their pathophysiology in these newborns are poorly known.

Therefore, “the objective of this study was focused on describing the local immune response in the respiratory secretions of premature newborns with respiratory viral infection during admission to the NICU and evaluating, in comparison with uninfected infants, the expression and synthesis of regulators of the lung barrier, both in respiratory samples and in vitro models”, explained Dr. Victoria del Pozo, head of the CIBERES group at the IIS-FJD, deputy director of Research at the institute, and one of the coordinators of this work.

The researchers focused on analyzing possible indicators of susceptibility to infection in the lung epithelial barrier, for which they focused on the filaggrin protein. This protein has been linked to increased epithelial permeability and increased expression of several cytokines that drive an inflammatory cycle. According to Dr. José Manuel Rodrigo, a CIBERES and IIS-FJD researcher and one of the main authors of the study, “the measurement of free filaggrin in nasopharyngeal aspirates may represent an indirect measure of lung integrity.” On the other hand, the results of the study showed that nasopharyngeal samples from premature babies who developed viral respiratory infections had higher levels of free filaggrin compared to newborns who were never infected (control group).

“It was also detected that the levels of other pro-inflammatory molecules were higher during and after infection, and it was shown that these molecules could be used as biomarkers of infection risk, along with filaggrin,” says Dr. Cristina Calvo, chief of the CIBERINFEC group at the La Paz-IdiPaz Hospital, which has also participated in the study.

These results were supported by in vitro experiments, since pathway epithelial cells mimicking a viral infection increased filaggrin levels in the supernatant. “Therefore, dysregulation of the filaggrin protein is a risk factor for respiratory infection in newborns admitted to the NICU, which could be a marker of susceptibility,” the researchers conclude.

Source: CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES)

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