Human rhinovirus infection blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication in respiratory epithelium: implications for COVID-19

 Kieran Dee, Daniel M Goldfarb, Joanne Haney, Julien A R Amat, Vanessa Herder, Meredith Stewart, Agnieszka M Szemiel, Marc Baguelin, Pablo R Murcia 

Author Notes

 https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiab147

PDF: https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiab147/36659461/jiab147.pdf

Abstract

Virus-virus interactions influence the epidemiology of respiratory infections. However, the impact of viruses causing upper respiratory infections on SARS-CoV-2 replication and transmission is currently unknown. Human rhinoviruses cause the common cold and are the most prevalent respiratory viruses of humans. Interactions between rhinoviruses and co-circulating respiratory viruses have been shown to shape virus epidemiology at the individual host and population level. Here, we examined the replication kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 in the human respiratory epithelium in the presence or absence of rhinovirus. We show that human rhinovirus triggers an interferon response that blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication. Mathematical simulations show that this virus-virus interaction is likely to have a population-wide effect as an increasing prevalence of rhinovirus will reduce the number of new COVID-19 cases.

https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiab147/6179975