Pathogenesis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is recognized as the most important cause of serious lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children worldwide causing repeat infections throughout life with serious complications occurring in the elderly and immune compromised patient. The level of disease pathogenesis associated with RSV infection is balanced between virus elimination and the nature of the immune response to infection. The innate and adaptive immune responses to RSV infection are not fully elucidated; however, significant progress has been made in understanding the virus–host relationship and mechanisms associated with disease pathogenesis. This review summarizes important aspects of these findings, and provides current perspective on processes that may contribute to RSV disease pathogenesis.