The cell biology of acute childhood respiratory disease: therapeutic implications.

Full Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the recently identified human metapneumovirus (HMPV), and the human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs), cause most cases of childhood croup, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. Influenza virus also causes a significant burden of disease in young children, although its significance in children was not fully recognized until recently. This article discusses pathogens that have been studied for several decades, including RSV and HPIVs, and also explores the newly identified viral pathogens HMPV and human coronavirus NL63. The escalating rate of emergence of new infectious agents, fortunately meeting with equally rapid advancements in molecular methods of surveillance and pathogen discovery, means that new organisms will soon be added to the list. A section on therapies for bronchiolitis addresses the final common pathways that can result from infection with diverse pathogens, highlighting the mechanisms that may be amenable to therapeutic approaches. The article concludes with a discussion of the overarching impact of new diagnostic strategies.

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Author information

Author/s: Loughlin, Gerald M (GM); Moscona, Anne (A);

Affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 515 East 71st Street, New York, NY, USA.

Grants: AI056185 (Agency:NIAID NIH HHS) ; AI31971 (Agency:NIAID NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Review

Journal: Pediatric clinics of North America (Pediatr Clin North Am), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Oct; vol 53 (issue 5) : pp 929-59, ix-x

Dates: Created 2006/10/09; Completed 2006/12/19; Revised 2007/12/03;

PMID: 17027618, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Immunization
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Respiratory Tract Infections - diagnosis; immunology; prevention & control; virology

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