title: The immune response to respiratory syncytial virus infection: friend or foe?
abstract: The immune response to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection has fascinated and frustrated investigators for decades. After adverse responses to early attempts at vaccination, it became popularly held that disease following infection was related to overly aggressive immune responses. However, recent data illustrate that severe forms of disease are related to inadequate, rather than hyperresponsive, adaptive immune reactions. Thus, recovery from primary (and perhaps later) RSV infection is dependent on the quality of innate immune responses. These findings should have enormous significance to the development of vaccines and antiviral compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA. rwelliver@upa.chob.edu
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Welliver
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007223:Infant; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D016207:Cytokines; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D037661:Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors