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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
High-throughput Detection Method for Influenza Virus
Published on: February 4, 2012
Detection of parainfluenza virus 3 in turbinate epithelial cells of postviral olfactory dysfunction patients
Jong Hwan Wang1, Hyun Ja Kwon, Yong Ju Jang
1Department of Otolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Objectives/Hypothesis:
Postviral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD) develops after a common cold, but little is known about the viral pathogen inducing olfactory dysfunction. We hypothesized that human parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3) may cause PVOD. We therefore assayed the nasal cavity mucosae of PVOD patients for the presence or persistence of PIV3.
Methods:
We assessed 25 patients (5 men, 20 women), ranging in age from 31 to 85 (mean, 51) years, diagnosed with PVOD and 22 controls (18 men, 4 women) diagnosed with nasal septal deviation between July 2005 and August 2006. Inferior turbinate epithelial cells were collected using a Rhino-probe mucosal curette, and PIV3 was assayed by seminested reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction.
Results:
PVOD occurred most frequently between May and July. Hyposmia was observed in 60% of patients and anosmia in 40%. The most common clinical symptoms were rhinorrhea, sore throat, nasal obstruction, fever, myalgia, cough, and hoarseness. Patients usually visited the outpatient clinic within 3 months after the onset of olfactory dysfunction. Twenty-two of 25 (88.0%) epithelial samples from PVOD patients were positive for PIV3 compared with 2 of 22 (9.1%) epithelial samples from controls.
Conclusions:
The high detection rate of PIV3 in the turbinate epithelial cells of PVOD patients suggests that PIV3 may be the causative virus of PVOD.
Insights
Human parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3) may cause postviral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD). Researchers found PIV3 in 88% of PVOD patients, suggesting it as a potential cause of smell loss after a cold.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Virology
- Immunology
Background:
- Postviral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD) is a common condition following upper respiratory infections.
- The specific viral agents responsible for PVOD remain largely unidentified.
- Human parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3) is a potential candidate pathogen for PVOD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and persistence of PIV3 in the nasal mucosa of patients with PVOD.
- To determine if PIV3 is a potential causative agent of postviral olfactory dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 25 PVOD patients and 22 controls.
- Inferior turbinate epithelial cells were collected via mucosal curettage.
- PIV3 detection using seminested reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Main Results:
- PVOD symptoms included hyposmia (60%) and anosmia (40%), with onset typically within 3 months.
- PIV3 was detected in 88.0% of PVOD patients' epithelial samples.
- PIV3 was detected in only 9.1% of control subjects' samples.
Conclusions:
- The high prevalence of PIV3 in PVOD patients strongly suggests its role as a causative agent.
- These findings identify PIV3 as a significant viral contributor to olfactory dysfunction.
- Further research into PIV3-specific treatments for PVOD is warranted.
