Collaborative ECHO research led by Yury Bochkov, PhD and James Gern, PhD of the University of Wisconsin at Madison investigates similarities and differences in the immune responses to two types of rhinovirus—RV-A and RV-C. This research, titled “Rhinoviruses A and C elicit long-lasting antibody responses with limited cross-neutralization,” is published in the Journal of Medical Virology.
Of the three species of rhinoviruses (A, B, and C) that can cause upper respiratory illnesses, RV-A and RV-C are more likely to cause wheezing illnesses in preschoolers and in children and adults who have asthma. No specific vaccines for these viruses exist yet, in part because the large range of rhinovirus strains makes vaccine development difficult. The goal of this study was to test whether RV-C infections are more likely than RV-A infections to induce long-lasting antibodies that can protect against other RV-C strains.
Over 4,000 children ages 0 to 19 were enrolled in 14 independent studies across Australia, Finland, and the United States. The studies included healthy participants as well as those with asthma and RV illnesses of varying severity. Researchers found that while protective antibody responses to RV-C last for several years, they have only modest cross-species protection that is limited to genetically similar viruses.
“These findings suggest that vaccines against RV-C might need to include many of the most common RV-C types to offer broad protection,” Dr. Bochkov said.
Researchers would also like to determine why RV-C infections occur so frequently, and why they are more likely to cause wheezing illnesses. The ultimate goal of these studies is to help researchers design a practical RV-C vaccine that could protect high-risk children.