Pathogenesis of RSV lower respiratory tract infection: implications for vaccine development

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 8, 2026

Generation, Amplification, and Titration of Recombinant Respiratory Syncytial Viruses
11:48

Generation, Amplification, and Titration of Recombinant Respiratory Syncytial Viruses

Published on: April 4, 2019

A H Brandenburg1, H J Neijens, A D Osterhaus

  • 1Institute of Virology, Erasmus University, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Vaccine
|April 3, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Developing a safe and effective respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine is challenging. Live attenuated vaccines show promise for infants, while subunit vaccines are promising for older individuals at risk.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of severe infant respiratory illness.
  • RSV also causes significant illness in older children and adults with risk factors.
  • Past RSV vaccine development faced challenges, including issues with formalin-inactivated RSV and age-specific administration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the challenges and promising strategies for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine development.
  • To evaluate the potential of different vaccine platforms for various age groups.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on RSV vaccine development.
  • Analysis of vaccine-induced immune responses and safety data.
  • Evaluation of different vaccine types, including live attenuated and subunit vaccines.

Main Results:

  • Live attenuated vaccines are considered most promising for infants, potentially avoiding enhanced pathology.
  • Achieving the right balance between attenuation and immunogenicity is critical for infant vaccines.
  • Subunit vaccines show promise for older individuals and those with underlying risk factors.

Conclusions:

  • RSV vaccine development requires careful consideration of vaccine platform and target population.
  • Live attenuated vaccines offer potential for infant immunization.
  • Subunit vaccines represent a promising approach for older, at-risk populations.

More Related Videos

An Improved and High Throughput Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Micro-neutralization Assay09:14

An Improved and High Throughput Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Micro-neutralization Assay

Published on: January 26, 2019

An In vitro Model to Study Immune Responses of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection09:01

An In vitro Model to Study Immune Responses of Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells to Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection

Published on: December 10, 2013

Related Concept Videos

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease01:29

Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a widespread pathogen that primarily targets infants and young children but also poses a serious health risk to elderly and immunocompromised individuals. Belonging to the Pneumoviridae family, RSV is a negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus within the Pneumovirus genus. Its global health burden is significant, with millions of cases annually resulting in hospitalizations and mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. Although most...
Chickenpox01:20

Chickenpox

Chickenpox is an acute, highly contagious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Herpesviridae family. Its transmission occurs primarily through the inhalation of respiratory droplets or direct contact with vesicular fluid from skin lesions. The incubation period typically ranges from 10 to 21 days, during which the virus replicates and disseminates through sequential phases within the host. Although generally self-limiting in children,...
Poliomyelitis01:17

Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis is caused by poliovirus, a small, non-enveloped, positive-sense RNA virus of the Picornaviridae family and Enterovirus genus. Transmission occurs primarily via the fecal-oral route, often through ingestion of contaminated water or food. The virus initially replicates in the oropharynx and intestinal mucosa, particularly in lymphoid tissues such as the tonsils, Peyer’s patches, and regional lymph nodes. Primary viremia follows, allowing dissemination throughout the body.In most...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer01:03

Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer

Rous Sarcoma virus or RSV was discovered by F. Peyton Rous in the year 1911 as a filterable transmissible agent that could cause tumors in chickens. He won a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1966. His experiments clearly demonstrated that some cancers could be caused by infectious agents and led to the discovery of many more cancer-causing viruses in animals as well as humans.
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand  RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Vaccinations01:51

Vaccinations

Overview
Vaccines01:21

Vaccines

Vaccines are among the most effective tools in preventive medicine, designed to prepare the immune system to recognize and combat infectious agents. By introducing antigens—substances that the immune system identifies as foreign—vaccines stimulate an adaptive immune response that leads to immunological memory. This immunological memory enables the body to mount a faster and more effective response upon future exposures to the actual pathogen.Vaccines can be categorized based on the type of...