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Effect of nitrogen dioxide exposure on susceptibility to influenza A virus infection in healthy adults

Journal Article · · Am. Rev. Respir. Dis.; (United States)

The effect of NO/sub 2/ exposure and human susceptibility to respiratory virus infection was investigated in a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial conducted in an environmentally controlled research chamber over 3 yr. Healthy, nonsmoking, young adult volunteers who were seronegative to influenza A/Korea/82 (H/sub 3/N/sub 2/) virus were randomly assigned to breathe either filtered clean air (control group) or NO/sub 2/ for 2 h/day for 3 consecutive days. The NO/sub 2/ concentrations were 2 ppm (Year 1), 3 ppm (Year 2), and 1 or 2 ppm (Year 3). Live, attenuated cold-adapted (ca) influenza A/Korea/82 reassortant virus was administered intranasally to all subjects immediately after the second exposure. Only one of the 152 volunteers had any symptoms; this person had a low grade fever. Pulmonary function measurements and nonspecific airway reactivity to methacholine were unchanged after NO/sub 2/ exposure, virus infection, or both. Infection was determined by virus recovery, a fourfold or greater increase in serum or nasal wash influenza-specific antibody titers, or both. The infection rates of the groups were 12/21 (2 ppm NO/sub 2/) versus 15/23 (clean air) in Year 1, 17/22 (3 ppm NO/sub 2/) versus 15/21 (clean air) in Year 2, and 20/22 (2 ppm) and 20/22 (1 ppm) versus 15/21 (clean air) in Year 3. Each group exposed to 1 or 2 ppm NO2 in the last year became infected more often (91%) than did the control group (71%), but the differences were not statistically significant.

Research Organization:
Johns Hopkins Univ. School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD (USA)
OSTI ID:
5900864
Journal Information:
Am. Rev. Respir. Dis.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Rev. Respir. Dis.; (United States) Vol. 139:5; ISSN ARDSB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English