Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus—Biology, Diagnosis and Prevention

Dear Colleagues,

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in all age groups worldwide. In infants and young children, the first infection can lead to severe and sometimes fatal bronchiolitis. Globally, RSV is estimated to cause more than 30 million cases of acute LRTI in young children each year, with more than 3 million severe cases requiring hospitalization, making it the most common cause of hospitalization in children under 5 years of age. In addition to the pediatric disease burden, RSV is increasingly recognized as an important pathogen in the elderly, with infections leading to increased hospitalization rates, increased mortality in people aged 65 years and older, and increased mortality in frail older adults close to the incidence of influenza.

Two FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies may help protect infants from RSV LRTD infection, but monoclonal antibodies are not vaccines. Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses. Among older adults, RSV infection can lead to LRTD, hospitalization, and death. Older adults with certain pre-existing health conditions (e.g., asthma, COPD, diabetes, and heart disease) are at increased risk of hospitalization, and those with weakened immune systems may have severe respiratory syncytial virus disease. There is an unmet need for RSV vaccines, and only two FDA-approved vaccines are available to prevent RSV LRTD in adults aged 60 years and older: Abrysvo and Arexvy. To date, 19 vaccine candidates and monoclonal antibodies (mAb) are in clinical trials in a variety of populations, and many more vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAb) are in preclinical development.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to invite scholars to discuss and share their latest research advances in human respiratory syncytial virus biology, diagnosis, and prevention. We warmly welcome submissions of original research articles, short communications, or review articles that convey research advances and findings relevant to the topic.

Dr. Yurong Tan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• human respiratory syncytial virus
• medical microbiology
• molecular biology
• virus diagnosis
• infection prevention