Respiratory syncytial virus

Shmuel Shoham, M.D.
Respiratory syncytial virus is a topic covered in the Johns Hopkins ABX Guide.

To view the entire topic, please or .

Pediatrics Central™ is an all-in-one application that puts valuable medical information, via your mobile device or the web, in the hands of clinicians treating infants, children, and adolescents. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

MICROBIOLOGY

  • Negative-sense, single-strand, enveloped RNA virus.
  • The scientific name is human orthopneumovirus.
    • A synonym is human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), sometimes shortened to just RSV.
    • Member of Pneumoviridae family and Orthopneumovirus genus.
  • RSV fusion protein facilitates fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell membrane. This protein is a potential target for vaccines and anti-viral agents.
  • In this section, we will refer to the virus that infects humans as RSV (although human orthopneumovirus is the international committee on taxonomy of viruses preferred term).
  • Transmission:
    • There are no animal reservoirs for this virus
    • Spread via nasal or oral secretions, either directly via large droplets (and probably aerosolized particles) or indirectly through contact with contaminated hands and environmental surfaces (e.g. cribs, toys, doorknobs, tabletops).

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

MICROBIOLOGY

  • Negative-sense, single-strand, enveloped RNA virus.
  • The scientific name is human orthopneumovirus.
    • A synonym is human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), sometimes shortened to just RSV.
    • Member of Pneumoviridae family and Orthopneumovirus genus.
  • RSV fusion protein facilitates fusion of the viral envelope with the host cell membrane. This protein is a potential target for vaccines and anti-viral agents.
  • In this section, we will refer to the virus that infects humans as RSV (although human orthopneumovirus is the international committee on taxonomy of viruses preferred term).
  • Transmission:
    • There are no animal reservoirs for this virus
    • Spread via nasal or oral secretions, either directly via large droplets (and probably aerosolized particles) or indirectly through contact with contaminated hands and environmental surfaces (e.g. cribs, toys, doorknobs, tabletops).

There's more to see -- the rest of this entry is available only to subscribers.