Relationship between respiratory syncytial virus and Newcastle disease-parainfluenza group

Clinical and laboratory diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus infection

Infection with RSV is one of the most common respiratory viral infections in childhood, particularly in infants under 1 year of age. The disease is characterized by epidemic proportions of infection which occur regularly in all parts of the world in the winter months. The spectrum of the clinical disease is quite variable, and the infection may present as bronchiolitis, pneumonia, croup, or exacerbation of pre-existing reactive airway disease. Recent evidence has suggested that RSV infection may be frequently associated with apnea in infancy and possibly sudden-infant-death syndrome. Although the laboratory diagnosis of this infection can be successfully accomplished by any well-known and conventional procedures, such as tissue culture infectivity and determination of serologic response, recently it has become possible to diagnose the infection very rapidly by application of such techiques as immunofluorescent staining and enzyme-linked immunonoabsorbent assay (ELISA).

Biophysical studies of respiratory syncytial virus. II. Identification of two soluble complement-fixing antigens of respiratory syncytial virus

Forsyth, Ben R. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Md.), Helen V. Coates, and Robert M. Chanock. Biophysical studies of respiratory syncytial virus. II. Identification of two soluble complement-fixing antigens of respiratory syncytial virus. J. Bacteriol. 91:1270-1276. 1966.-Column chromatography of concentrated preparations was used to separate two antigenic components from the "soluble complement-fixing (CF) antigen" of respiratory syncytial (RS) virus. These antigens, designated antigen A and antigen B, stimulated homologous but not heterologous CF antibodies. Only antigen A stimulated the production of neutralizing antibody in guinea pigs. There was a dissociation between the CF and neutralizing antibody responses of guinea pigs immunized with antigen A. The two antigens were shown to have different molecular size, density, and sensitivity to lipolytic agents. Both antigens appeared to be components of the RS viral particle. Serological studies demonstrated that both antigens were formed during RS virus infection of children and adults.