Impaired airway epithelial cell wound-healing capacity is associated with airway remodelling following RSV infection in severe preschool wheeze
Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes exacerbations of asthma and preschool wheeze (PSW). However, the anti-viral and repair responses of the bronchial epithelium in children with severe therapy-resistant asthma (STRA) and PSW are poorly understood. Methods: Children with STRA (age 12 [6-16] years), PSW (age 2 [1-5] years) and non-asthmatic controls (age 7 [2-14] years) underwent br