- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a virus that primarily impacts young children and older adults and may cause severe symptoms.
- Data from a recent study suggests that RSV can directly infect peripheral nerve cells, potentially damaging the nervous system.
- Further research is needed to understand the full neurological effects of RSV and any long-term consequences.
Children and older adults are typically most at risk for RSV, even though older children and adults of all ages can also contract this virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates between
Most of the focus has been on how RSV impacts the respiratory system. However, researchers are also interested in learning how the virus affects other systems in the body.
A recent study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases examined the impact of RSV on the nervous system using peripheral nerve and spinal cord cultures.
Researchers found that the virus affected peripheral nerve cells directly and indirectly. They found that a critical component is that RSV leads to inflammation and then to nerve damage.
RSV also somewhat affected the spinal cord cultures, infecting microglia and dendritic cells, contributing to inflammation. However, RSV did not infect spinal neurons directly.
The results indicate the need for more research on the neurological effects of RSV and the best options for protection from the virus.
Study author Dr. Giovanni Piedimonte, vice president for Research Institutional Official, research integrity officer at Tulane University, and professor of Pediatrics, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Tulane…
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