So paulo: Researchers in Brazil have discovered that tonsil and adenoid tissues act as a preferred hiding place for the rhinovirus, the primary cause of the common cold and most respiratory tract infections worldwide, according to a new study.
According to Oman News Agency, the research was conducted by the University of So Paulo, which analysed samples from 293 children who underwent tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy for snoring, sleep apnoea, or recurrent infections. Although all children were symptom-free at the time of surgery, researchers detected the virus in 46 percent of them - present either in the tonsils, adenoids, or nasal secretions.
Scientists had previously believed that rhinovirus infects only the superficial mucosal layer of the nose and throat, penetrating cells and forcing them to produce viral copies until they burst, triggering an immune response that clears the infection within five to seven days. The new findings, however, show that the virus can reach deeper layers of the tonsils and adenoids, infecting B lymphocytes - which produce antibodies - and helper T lymphocytes - which direct the immune response. Rather than killing these cells, the virus remains inside them for extended periods in a latent state, behaving similarly to herpesviruses and human papillomavirus.