scholarly journals Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections in Infants Affected by Primary Immunodeficiency

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcello Lanari ◽  
Silvia Vandini ◽  
Maria Grazia Capretti ◽  
Tiziana Lazzarotto ◽  
Giacomo Faldella
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Primary Immunodeficiency ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Cell Immune Response ◽  
High Risk Population ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Inherited Disorders ◽  
Epidemic Season ◽  
Syncytial Virus

Primary immunodeficiencies are rare inherited disorders that may lead to frequent and often severe acute respiratory infections. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most frequent pathogens during early infancy and the infection is more severe in immunocompromised infants than in healthy infants, as a result of impaired T- and B-cell immune response unable to efficaciously neutralize viral replication, with subsequent increased viral shedding and potentially lethal lower respiratory tract infection. Several authors have reported a severe clinical course after RSV infections in infants and children with primary and acquired immunodeficiencies. Environmental prophylaxis is essential in order to reduce the infection during the epidemic season in hospitalized immunocompromised infants. Prophylaxis with palivizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against the RSV F protein, is currently recommended in high-risk infants born prematurely, with chronic lung disease or congenital heart disease. Currently however the prophylaxis is not routinely recommended in infants with primary immunodeficiency, although some authors propose the extension of prophylaxis to this high risk population.

scholarly journals Epidemiology and prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infections in children in Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Azzari ◽  
Eugenio Baraldi ◽  
Paolo Bonanni ◽  
Elena Bozzola ◽  
Alessandra Coscia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
New Agents ◽  
Epidemic Season ◽  
Case Identification ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
Neonates And Infants

AbstractRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading global cause of respiratory infections in infants and the second most frequent cause of death during the first year of life. This highly contagious seasonal virus is responsible for approximately 3 million hospitalizations and 120,000 deaths annually among children under the age of 5 years. Bronchiolitis is the most common severe manifestation; however, RSV infections are associated with an increased long-term risk for recurring wheezing and the development of asthma. There is an unmet need for new agents and a universal strategy to prevent RSV infections starting at the time of birth. RSV is active between November and April in Italy, and prevention strategies must ensure that all neonates and infants under 1 year of age are protected during the endemic season, regardless of gestational age at birth and timing of birth relative to the epidemic season. Approaches under development include maternal vaccines to protect neonates during their first months, monoclonal antibodies to provide immediate protection lasting up to 5 months, and pediatric vaccines for longer-lasting protection. Meanwhile, improvements are needed in infection surveillance and reporting to improve case identification and better characterize seasonal trends in infections along the Italian peninsula. Rapid diagnostic tests and confirmatory laboratory testing should be used for the differential diagnosis of respiratory pathogens in children. Stakeholders and policymakers must develop access pathways once new agents are available to reduce the burden of infections and hospitalizations.

scholarly journals A comparison of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infections among infants admitted to hospital with acute respiratory infections

1976 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. O. Caul ◽  
D. K. Waller ◽  
S. K. R. Clarke ◽  
B. D. Corner
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Influenza B Virus ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Virus Infections ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
One Year

SUMMARYAmong 741 children under 5 years admitted to hospital with respiratory infections during two winters, infection with influenza A virus was diagnosed in 70 (9%), with influenza B virus in 8 (1%), and with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 259 (35 %). Both influenza virus and RSV infections were diagnosed most frequently in children under the age of one year, and diagnosed more frequently in males than females. Influenza illnesses were more severe in boys than girls. Both infections occurred more often, but were not more severe, in children from a conurbation than in those from ‘rural’ areas. Convulsions were the cause of 36% of admissions with influenza A infections, but were rare in RSV infections. Bronchiolitis was the reason for 39% of admissions with RSV infections, but was rare in influenza infections. It is suggested that infants admitted to hospital are a good source of influenza virus strains for monitoring arttigenic variation.

scholarly journals Rapid spread of the novel respiratory syncytial virus A ON1 genotype, central Italy, 2011 to 2013

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (26) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Pierangeli ◽  
D Trotta ◽  
C Scagnolari ◽  
M L Ferreri ◽  
A Nicolai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Epidemic Season ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
Different Strains ◽  
Subtype A

Respiratory infections positive for human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) subtype A were characterised in children admitted to hospitals in Rome and Ancona (Italy) over the last three epidemic seasons. Different strains of the novel RSV-A genotype ON1, first identified in Ontario (Canada) in December 2010, were detected for the first time in Italy in the following 2011/12 epidemic season. They bear an insertion of 24 amino acids in the G glycoprotein as well as amino acid changes likely to change antigenicity. By early 2013, ON1 strains had spread so efficiently that they had nearly replaced other RSV-A strains. Notably, the RSV peak in the 2012/13 epidemic season occurred earlier and, compared with the previous two seasons, influenza-like illnesses diagnoses were more frequent in younger children; bronchiolitis cases had a less severe clinical course. Nonetheless, the ON1-associated intensive care unit admission rate was similar, if not greater, than that attributable to other RSV-A strains. Improving RSV surveillance would allow timely understanding of the epidemiological and clinicopathological features of the novel RSV-A genotype.

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