Association Between TLR9-Mediated Interferon-Alpha Production and Short-Term Risk of Common Cold: A Pilot Observational Study.
- 1Institute of Health Sciences, Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd., Fujisawa 251-8555, Japan.
- 2National Institute of Nutrition, Hanoi 12638, Vietnam.
Abstract
Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are highly prevalent and impose substantial individual and societal burdens. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are major producers of type I interferons (IFNs) with antiviral activity. This study investigated whether CpG oligodeoxynucleotide-induced IFN-α production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), a marker of pDC activity, was associated with subsequent occurrence of the common cold. Data from 41 healthy adults in the placebo arm of a randomized controlled trial were analyzed. CpG-induced IFN-α production was measured before a 4-week observation period, and participants were dichotomized into high and low IFN-α production groups based on the median value. The occurrence of common cold events and cold symptoms was assessed using daily self-reported symptom scores and body temperature records. Seven participants developed the common cold, all in the low group. The crude risk difference between the low and high groups was 0.333 (Miettinen-Nurminen 95% CI, 0.148-0.546; Fisher's exact p = 0.009). The low group also showed higher risks for fever, plugged nose, and sore throat, while findings for the other symptoms were less conclusive. As a hypothesis-generating pilot study, these findings suggest that low TLR9-mediated IFN-α production may be associated with increased susceptibility to URTIs in healthy adults.
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BibTeX
@article{kato2026association,
title = {{Association Between TLR9-Mediated Interferon-Alpha Production and Short-Term Risk of Common Cold: A Pilot Observational Study.}},
author = {Yukiko Kato and Truong Tuyet Mai and Nghiem Nguyet Thu and Osamu Kanauchi and Yusuke Ushida},
journal = {Tropical medicine and infectious disease},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/tropicalmed11100274},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931459},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association Between TLR9-Mediated Interferon-Alpha Production and Short-Term Risk of Common Cold: A Pilot Observational Study.
AU - Yukiko Kato
AU - Truong Tuyet Mai
AU - Nghiem Nguyet Thu
AU - Osamu Kanauchi
AU - Yusuke Ushida
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Tropical medicine and infectious disease
DO - 10.3390/tropicalmed11100274
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42931459
AB - Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are highly prevalent and impose substantial individual and societal burdens. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are major producers of type I interferons (IFNs) with antiviral activity. This study investigated whether CpG oligodeoxynucleotide-induced IFN-α production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), a marker of pDC activity, was associated with subsequent occurrence of the common cold. Data from 41 healthy adults in the placebo arm of a randomized controlled trial were analyzed. CpG-induced IFN-α production was measured before a 4-week observation period, and participants were dichotomized into high and low IFN-α production groups based on the median value. The occurrence of common cold events and cold symptoms was assessed using daily self-reported symptom scores and body temperature records. Seven participants developed the common cold, all in the low group. The crude risk difference between the low and high groups was 0.333 (Miettinen-Nurminen 95% CI, 0.148-0.546; Fisher's exact p = 0.009). The low group also showed higher risks for fever, plugged nose, and sore throat, while findings for the other symptoms were less conclusive. As a hypothesis-generating pilot study, these findings suggest that low TLR9-mediated IFN-α production may be associated with increased susceptibility to URTIs in healthy adults.
SN - 2414-6366
ER -