Mucociliary Function during Experimentally Induced Rhinovirus Infection in Man

In conjunction with a controlled study of the effect of vitamin C on susceptibility to experimentally induced rhinovirus infections in man, we have conducted a study of nasal mucociliary function in the subjects volunteering for the study. In the 21 volunteers an average mucociliary flow rate (measured by the Quinlan tagged particle technique) of 7.5 mm/min was found in those with normal nasal morphology and 4.0 mm/min in those with abnormal nasal morphology. The rates decreased during infection in both groups but at different times after induction of infection. Ascorbic acid had no effect on either susceptibility to induced rhinovirus infection or mucociliary transport.