Respiratory syncytial virus
| Causes winter surges and bronchiolitis | |
|---|---|
| Etiology | enveloped, negative-sense, single-stranded RNA virus |
| Epidemiology | - RSV is seasonal. In northern locales, it usually occurs between November-April, with a peak in January-February. - Transmission may occur via fomites or aerosol droplets. (copied shamelessly from IBCC ) - incubation 3-5 days |
| Clinical presentation | spectrum from coryza to pneumonia Viral bronchiolitis is classic |
| Pathogenesis | necrotising bronchiolitis tends to be associated with bacterial superinfections |
| Investigations: | Diagnostic: nasopharyngeal aspirate Radiology: again copied shamelessly from IBCC - (1) Chest radiography may be normal in patients with predominantly obstructive physiology. - (2) Bronchopneumonia pattern is typically seen (with tree-in-bud opacities, bronchial wall thickening, and peribronchial consolidations). (36338246) Infiltrates are often small, patchy, and disproportional to the degree of hypoxemia. - (3) Diffuse ground glass opacities may occur. |
| Management: |