Viral Infections in BAL and Bronchial Biopsies of Stable COPD Patients

Background: The presence of low-grade viral infection in the airways of patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) could potentially have implications in the pathogenesis and progression of the disease, but previous studies have reported very different rates of human rhinovirus (HRV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genome detection in nasal and sputum samples. However, no study has investigated the presence of these viruses directly in the lungs by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and bronchial biopsies. This study aimed to investigate whether HRV and RSV are present in the lungs of stable COPD patients by performing BAL and bronchial biopsies, and relate their presence with disease severity. Methods: Consecutive patients with stable COPD and control subjects, who underwent diagnostic (e.g., lung cancer) and/or therapeutic (e.g., hemoptysis) fibreoptic bronchoscopy in a university hospital in Athens, Greece, were enrolled. The collected BAL and bronchial biopsies during bronchoscopy were subsequently processed for HRV and RSV RNA detection with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). More specifically, the nucleocapsid gene and 5΄ non-coding region were searched for RSV and HRV detection, respectively.