Understanding Host-pathogen Interaction in the Respiratory Mucosa During Pregnancy

Nasal brush samples will be collected from the inferior turbinate using standardized techniques after local anesthetic application. After clearing the mucus from the nasal cavity by asking the patient to blow their nostrils twice followed by local anesthetic spray application, nasal brush samples will be collected from the inferior turbinate of each nostril with dedicated soft cytology brushes and pooled together for molecular biological experiments. Simultaneously, 10 mL of peripheral blood will be collected for immunophenotyping.