A Knowledge Graph for the Exploration of Human RSV Infection

Abstract

Despite decades of research and disease burden, RSV remains the most common cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) in infants <2 years of age. New vaccines and an improved long lasting monoclonal antibody have been approved to protect individuals at increased risk of severe disease. However, treatment of severe RSV-mediated disease remains palliative, and we still cannot identify those individuals who will experience severe disease. Knowledge Graphs (KG) are an increasingly utilized methodology to aid in the exploration of literature surrounding important established and emerging human pathogens and their mechanisms of infection and disease. In this paper, we present a consolidation of >60 years of heterogeneous information relating to RSV infection into the creation of a pilot RSV KG. Integrating multiple sources, we identify highly interconnected nodes and inferred pathways, to aid in increasing understanding of human RSV infection.

Keywords: Bioinformatics; Knowledge Graph; RSV; Viruses.