The role of epithelial necrosis in non-bacterial neutrophilic inflammation in children with cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease is characterised by neutrophilic airway inflammation and progressive airway remodelling commonly in the absence of bacterial infection. Using samples obtained from children with CF, this thesis found for the first time that intereukin-1alpha correlated with neutrophilic inflammation and was associated with lung disease in the absence of bacterial infection. Infection of CF airway epithelial cells with rhinovirus elicited a predominantly interleukin-1 driven inflammatory response, suggesting that this type of viral infection triggers inflammation via this pathway following necrotic cell death. Future work will focus on the mechanisms involved and to develop therapeutic interventions.