IFN-gamma-induced protein 10 is a novel biomarker of rhinovirus-induced asthma exacerbations

BACKGROUND: Rhinovirus-induced acute asthma is the most frequent trigger for asthma exacerbations. OBJECTIVE: We assessed which inflammatory mediators were released from bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) after infection with rhinovirus and then determined whether they were also present in subjects with acute virus-induced asthma, with the aim to identify a biomarker or biomarkers for acute virus-induced asthma. METHODS: BECs were obtained from bronchial brushings of steroid-naive asthmatic subjects and healthy nonatopic control subjects. Cells were infected with rhinovirus 16. Inflammatory mediators were measured by means of flow cytometry with a cytometric bead array. Subjects with acute a…