Virology: Current Research

Rhinovirus C (HRV-C) cannot be propagated in immortalized cells, and there is relatively little information on host cell responses to HRV-C infection. Human Bronchial Epithelial (HBE) cells are cultured at the Air-liquid Interface (ALI), which can form tight junctions, produce mucin, and differentiate to form cilia, representing an almost native cell system study HRV-C infections in vitro. In the present study, four strains of HRV-C from infectious clones and clinical specimens were infected with HBE-ALI cells. We found that they induced very similar immune responses, showing that the comparison basis was homogeneous.