Aims : To describe the mechanisms by which viruses cause acute asthma. The participants will gain insights into how host immune responses are exploited by the virus, how the host defends itself with its immune responses, and how information about these interactions can be used to develop novel asthma therapies. More specifically, the presentations will describe the effect of viral structure on antiviral host defences, how to differentiate between host immune responses that are exploited by the virus and the immune responses that are crucial for host defence, how genetic variations influence virus-induced asthma exacerbations in children, and how viruses affect the airway microbiome of asthmatics and in turn shape the long-term respiratory outcomes of these patients.