Effects of Rhinovirus Infection on the Adherence ofStreptococcus pneumoniaeto Cultured Human Airway Epithelial Cells

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Abstract
To examine the effects of rhinovirus (RV) infection on the adherence of Streptococcus pneumoniae to human tracheal epithelial cells, cells were infected with RV-14, and S. pneumoniae were added to the culture medium. The number of S. pneumoniae adhering to epithelial cells increased after RV infection. Y-24180, a specific inhibitor of the platelet-activating factor receptor (PAF-R); PAF; and the pyrrolidine derivative of dithiocarbamate, an inhibitor of transcription factor nuclear factor–κB (NF-κB), decreased the number of S. pneumoniae adhering to cells after RV-14 infection. RV-14 infection increased PAF-R expression and the activation of NF-κB and promoter-specific transcription factor 1. These findings suggest that RV-14 infection stimulates S. pneumoniae adhesion to airway epithelial cells via increases in PAF-Rs that are partly mediated through activation of transcription factors. Increased adherence of S. pneumoniae may be one of the reasons that pneumonia develops after RV infection

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