ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Biotechnology and Biomolecular Research 2021 December;33(4):196-203

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-542X.20.02731-7

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Macrophage receptor with collagenous structure in infant bronchiolitis patients

Francesco SAVINO ¹, Fernanda CIFERRI ¹, Paola MONTANARI ², Cristina CALVI ², Ilaria GALLIANO ², Carla ALLIAUDI ², Valentina DAPRÀ ², Massimiliano BERGALLO ² ✉

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy; ² Department of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences, University of Turin, Medical School, Turin, Italy

BACKGROUND: Bronchiolitis is common in early infancy. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the main etiological agent. We investigated macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) polymorphism rs1318645 as possible gene candidate for severity of RSV-related disease in infants.
METHODS: In 2016-2018 we assessed 60 term-born infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis, with or without RSV, at the Regina Margherita Children Hospital, Turin, Italy; and 59 healthy term-born subjects. Their mean ages were 14.6 and 13.0 weeks, respectively.
RESULTS: The association was largely attributed to the GG risk effect where infants homozygous for the G allele were at significant risk of developing bronchiolitis. We found greater mRNA MARCO expression in subjects with partial pressure of carbon dioxide values less than 50 mmHg (P=0.0391).
CONCLUSIONS: To the authors knowledge this was the first study to demonstrate different mRNA MARCO expression in infants with severe bronchiolitis. However, further research needs to be carried out into the detailed mechanisms underlying the MARCO-bronchiolitis axis.

KEY WORDS: Bronchiolitis; MARCO protein, human; Polymerase chain reaction; Respiratory syncytial viruses