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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
Murine Model of Allergen Induced Asthma
Published on: May 14, 2012
Development of atopy by severe paramyxoviral infection in a mouse model
Dorothy S Cheung1, Sarah J Ehlenbach, Tom Kitchens
1Medical College of Wisconsin, MACC Fund Research Center, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
Background:
Atopic diseases have been increasing in prevalence, yet the initial inciting events that lead to atopy are not understood. Paramyxoviral infections have been suggested to play a role; however, much of these data are correlative.
Objective:
To determine whether exposure to a nonviral antigen during a paramyxoviral infection is sufficient to drive IgE production against the bystander antigen and whether clinical disease against this antigen would result.
Methods:
Wild-type C57BL6 mice or mice deficient in FcεRIα (FcεRIα(-/-)) or IgE (IgE(-/-)) were inoculated with Sendai virus (SeV) or UV-inactivated SeV (UV-SeV) and subsequently exposed to ovalbumin (OVA) intranasally. Mice were further challenged 3 times with intranasal OVA on days 20 to 22 after inoculation with SeV, and airway hyperreactivity and mucous cell metaplasia were determined.
Results:
Exposure to OVA during SeV infection led to significant OVA specific IgE production (median, 548 vs 0 ng/mL; P = .03; SeV vs UV-SeV). This induction of OVA specific IgE production depended on FcεRI because FcεRIα(-/-) mice produced significantly less IgE (112 ng/mL; P = .03; vs wild-type mice). Furthermore, in wild-type mice OVA exposure and challenge significantly enhanced SeV-induced airway hyperreactivity and mucous cell metaplasia, but this failed to occur in either FcεRIα(-/-) or IgE(-/-) mice.
Conclusion:
A single exposure to a bystander allergen during a paramyxoviral infection is sufficient to drive allergen specific IgE production in a partial FcεRI-dependent mechanism. These data begin to provide mechanistic insight into how viral infections might drive development of atopic disease.
