Nasal priming with immunobiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus modulates inflammation-coagulation interactions and reduces influenza virus-associated pulmonary damage

ZELAYA, H.; TADA, A.; VIZOSO PINTO, M. G.; SALVA, S.; ALVAREZ, S.; KITAZAWA, H.; AGÜERO, G.; VILLENA, J.

MAR DEL PLATA

Congreso; LXII Reunión anual de la Soc. Argentina de Inmunología; 2014

Soc. Argentina de Inmunología

Five to fifteen percent of global population is affected by seasonal influenza yearly. Thus, influenza represents a major public health problem. Symptoms are variable ranging from mild respiratory distress to massive organ failure resulting in death. Seasonal influenza is usually self-limiting but in susceptible patients it may progress to acute lung injury, which is characterized by augmented pulmonary microvascular permeability leading to pulmonary edema, hypoxemia and respiratory failure. Available drugs are of limited efficacy in this setting, therefore, the development of novel therapeutic or preventive alternatives are a milestone in influenza research. We examined the effect of nasal administration of live and heat-killed (HK) Lactobacillus rhamnosus 1505 (Lr1505) on influenza infection and found that both treatments were able to protect mice challenged with influenza virus (IFV). Furthermore, we unraveled several mechanisms by which this immunobiotic strain protected infected mice by reducing pulmonary injury and lung viral loads: a) inflammatory cytokines were down-regulated diminishing inflammation (p