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Review
. 2017 Mar;38(1):29-36.
doi: 10.1016/j.ccm.2016.11.010. Epub 2016 Dec 27.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: An Illness for All Ages

Edward E Walsh  1
Affiliations
Review

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: An Illness for All Ages

Edward E Walsh. Clin Chest Med. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the single most important cause of severe respiratory infection in very young infants. It has also been recently recognized as a significant cause of severe illness in elderly adults, those with underlying cardiopulmonary disease, and the immunocompromised. RSV is suspected of playing a major role in the development of asthma. Prophylaxis in high-risk infants using a monoclonal antibody is the only effective specific therapy available but recent breakthroughs in vaccine design and antiviral drugs offer the promise of effective prophylactic and therapeutic agents against RSV.

Keywords: Adults; Antivirals; Asthma; Bronchiolitis; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Respiratory syncytial virus; Vaccines.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic depiction of the filamentous and spherical forms of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, indicating the pre- and post-fusion forms of F and the G glycoprotein. From Graham BS, Modjarrad K, McLellan JS. Novel antigens for RSV vaccines. Curr Opin Immunol. 2015 Aug;35:30–8
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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