IL-17 and TNF-α Are Key Mediators of Moraxella catarrhalis Triggered Exacerbation of Allergic Airway Inflammation

Alterations of the airway microbiome is often associated with pulmonary diseases. For example, detection of the bacterial pathogen Moraxella catarrhalis in the upper airways is linked with an increased risk to develop or exacerbate asthma. However, the mechanisms by which M. cattarhalis augments allergic airway inflammation (AAI) remains unclear. We here characterized the cellular and soluble mediators of M. catarrhalis triggered excacerbation of AAI in wt and IL-17 deficient as well as in animals treated with TNF-alpha and IL-6 neutralizing antibodies. We compared the type of inflammatory response in M. catarrhalis infected, HDM-allergic and animals infected with M. catarrhalis at differen…