Progression of influenza viral infection through the murine respiratory tract: The protective role of sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation is reported to have both beneficial and harmful effects u pon host defenses. In the work reported herein, we address the effects of s leep deprivation on the mucosal anti-influenza defenses of both immune and nonimmune BALB/e mice. Sleep deprivation does not depress existing mucosal antiviral defenses in the respriatory tracts of BALB/c mice; in fact, it ma y actually be beneficial. Nasal mucosal immunity is not adversely affected in immune mice by sleep deprivation. In nonimmune mice, sleep deprivation s lows or prevents the progress of nasal influenza viral infection down the t rachea into the lungs. By 72 hours post-infection, 12 of 12 control mice sh ed virus into bronchioalveolar lavages (BAL) while only 2 of 12 sleep depri ved mice shed virus (p<0.001). BAL levels of IL-1<beta> and interferon alph a were increased in sleep deprived animals, suggesting that sleep deprivati on may exert its beneficial effects on the respiratory tract by upregulatin g the production of antiviral cytokines.