Propagation of respiratory viruses in human airway epithelia reveals persistent virus-specific signatures.

Background: The leading cause of acute illnesses, respiratory viruses, typically cause self-limited diseases, although severe complications can occur in fragile patients. Rhinoviruses (RVs), respiratory enteroviruses (EVs), influenza virus, respiratory syncytial viruses (RSVs), and coronaviruses are highly prevalent respiratory pathogens, but because of the lack of reliable animal models, their differential pathogenesis remains poorly characterized.

Objective: We sought to compare infections by respiratory viruses isolated from clinical specimens using reconstituted human airway epithelia.

A new real-time RT-qPCR assay for the detection, subtyping and quantification of human respiratory syncytial viruses positive- and negative-sense RNAs.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major health problem and the main cause of hospitalization due to bronchiolitis. RSV is divided into two antigenic subgroups, RSV-A and -B that co-circulate worldwide. Rapid and sensitive detection is desirable for proper patient handling while assessment of viral load may help to evaluate disease severity and progression.