Risk Factors Associated with Severe RSV Infection in Infants: What Is the Role of Viral Co-Infections?
Kim Stobbelaar, Thomas C. Mangodt, Winke Van der Gucht, Lise Delhaise, Jasmine Andries, Valérie Gille, Cyril Barbezange, Annemieke Smet, Benedicte Y. De Winter, Jozef J. De Dooy, Tom Schepens, E Duval, Paul Cos, Philippe G. Jorens, Stijn Verhulst, Peter Delputte
Abstract
RSV is worldwide the leading cause of serious airway infections. Up to 90% of children will be infected by the age of 2. RSV symptoms are mostly mild and typically mimic a common cold in older children and adolescents, but younger children can develop severe lower respiratory tract disease, and currently it is unclear why certain children develop severe disease while others do not. In this study, we found that children with a single RSV infection had a higher disease severity compared to patients with viral co-infections, suggesting that the presence of a viral co-infection could influence the course of an RSV bronchiolitis. As preventive and therapeutic options for RSV-associated disease are currently limited, this finding could potentially guide physicians to decide which patients might benefit from current or future treatment options early in the course of disease, and therefore, warrants further investigation.