Generality
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under the age of two.
In adults and older children, respiratory tract infection usually causes a mild disease, which heals without the need for specific treatments. However, in early childhood, exposure to the viral agent often results in pneumonia and can involve the smallest branches of the bronchi (bronchiolitis).
The respiratory syncytial virus has the characteristic of spreading in annual epidemics, which usually occur every winter.
In countries with a temperate climate, the period of greatest contagiousness is between November and April, with a peak in the months of January, February and March. Almost all children contract the infection in the first 4 years of life.
Exposure to respiratory syncytial virus does not render completely immune, therefore reinfection is common, although it is generally less severe.
Diagnosis is based on symptoms and their occurrence at certain times of the year.
Typical manifestations of respiratory syncytial virus-induced disease include runny nose, pharyngitis, fever, cough, and wheezing; if the infection is severe, it can lead to respiratory distress.
Treatment of uncomplicated forms is mainly symptomatic, with the use of oxygen to facilitate breathing and administration of fluids to avoid dehydration.
So is the RSV
L "RSV (acronym deriving from" English "Respiratory Syncytial Virus”) Is a viral agent capable of infecting the respiratory system of patients of any age, but mainly affects children in the first years of life.
Respiratory syncytial virus infects the epithelia of the airways, where it causes cell necrosis.
In cultured tissues infected with this pathogen, the cells fuse together, resulting in a conglomerate (syncytium), hence the name.
Causes
Respiratory syncytial virus is a very common cause of respiratory infections during early childhood.
This pathogen belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae, such as parainfluenza and measles viruses. The RSV falls, in particular, into the subfamily Pneumovirinae, which also includes the human metapneumovirus.
Respiratory syncytial virus is distributed throughout the world and appears in annual outbreaks. In temperate climates, RSV infections occur in the winter months or early spring and are prolonged, persisting in the environment for 4-5 months; during the rest of the year, however, infections are sporadic and much less common.
Respiratory syncytial virus outbreaks often overlap with influenza and human metapneumovirus outbreaks. Compared to the latter, however, RSV infections are generally more constant from year to year and cause a more severe disease, especially in infants younger than 6 months.
Serum antibodies to RSV (IgG immunoglobulins) transmitted via the placenta from mother to fetus, if present at high concentrations, provide partial but incomplete protection. In other words, the possibility of getting sick depends very much on the opportunity that the child has to be exposed to the infection.
Infection is nearly universal by 2 years of age.
Exposure to respiratory syncytial virus does not result in permanent absolute immunity. However, relapses are generally less severe.
