Attenuated interleukin-8/leukocyte immunoresponse in preterm infants compared with term infants hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis: a pilot study.

What Researchers Did

Researchers collected nasal-wash samples from 11 preterm and 13 term infants hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis to compare their immune responses.

What They Found

Nasal-wash leukocyte counts and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels were higher in term infants compared with preterm infants. IL-8 levels correlated with disease severity in term infants (p 0.05), while IL-4 and interferon-γ levels showed no significant differences between groups.

Canadian Relevance

This study was not conducted in Canada and therefore has no direct Canadian connection.

Study Limitations

As a pilot study with a small sample size (11 preterm and 13 term infants), these findings require confirmation in larger cohorts.