Imaging Technology Could Unlock Mysteries of RSV

This microscope image shows a cell infected with RSV. The RNA tagged by the probe is shown in red, while the nucleoprotein is green. (Source: Georgia Tech/Eric Alonas and Philip Santangelo)By the time they’re two, most children have had respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and suffered symptoms no worse than a bad cold. But for some children, especially premature babies and those with underlying health conditions, RSV can lead to pneumonia and bronchitis– which can require hospitalization and have long-term consequences.

A new technique for studying the structure of the RSV virion and the activity of RSV in living cells could help researchers unlock the secrets of the virus, including how it enters cells, how it replicates, how many genomes it inserts into its hosts– and perhaps why certain lung cells escape the infection relatively unscathed. That could provide scientists information they need to develop new antiviral drugs and perhaps even a vaccine to prevent severe RSV infections

Font: Bioscience Technology