RSV Flashcards
What does RSV cause?
severe lower respiratory infection, esp in young children
What time of year does RSV infect people?
winter and spring, annually
How is RSV spread?
large droplets; can live on surfaces for 1 hour
How many strains of RSV are problematic?
2- A and B
RSV is the most common cause of _____.
bronchiolitis
Does pre-existing immunity protect someone from RSV?
no- it rapidly evolves like influenza
RSV is a _____, _____ virus.
ss, non-segmented RNA
What are the 2 subtypes of RSV? Which is more severe? What are the 2 proteins to know?
A and B; A causes a worse disease and is more prevalent; F protein (fusion) and G protein (binding)
What does F protein do?
fusion of viral envelope, membranes, causes synctia
What does G protein do?
allows initial binding of virus to the host cell
Where does RSV invade?
the conjunctiva/nasopharynx
What is the incubation period for RSV?
3-5 days
What are the clinical signs/symptoms of RSV?
respiratory distress, wheezing/rhonchi, hypoxia, copious secretions, mucous plugging
What happens in the airway with RSV?
constriction of smooth muscle in the bronchioles, Get edema/inflammation, ventilation/perfusion mismatch, hyperexpansion, mucous plugging
How do you test for RSV?
cell culture, direct antigen detection, nucleic acid/genome PCR (best)
