Researchers from Belgium and the UK have discovered how the rhinovirus acts on the immune system to induce severe asthma attacks, amongst individuals suffering from this illness.
The University of Liège indicated this yesterday (Monday) when the results of their findings were published in the scientific review Nature Medicine. The host DNA would thus be responsible for these attacks occurring.
The researchers from the Interdisciplinary Cluster in Applied Genoproteomics (within the ULg) explain that the rhinovirus infection, in fact, aggravates the asthmatic reaction. It does so by inducing release of the host DNA within the airways.
Once outside of the cells, the latter greatly amplifies the detrimental immune reaction, which causes asthma.
