RSV tagged posts

Image: Scientists have solved the structure of a protein that helps a common respiratory virus evade the immune system. The team, led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have identified critical parts of the protein that could be targeted with drugs or vaccines, opening up the possibility of preventing or treating an infection that sickens thousands of babies and elderly people every year.
Credit: Daisy Leung

“We solved the structure of a protein that has eluded the field for quite some time,” said Daisy Leung, PhD, an assistant professor of pathology and immunology, and of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis...

Pseudomonas aeruginosa killed by the engineered cationic antimicrobial peptide (eCAP). Killed bacteria (red), living bacteria (green). Credit: Jeffrey Melvin, Pitt

A potential drug therapy developed at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) has proven effective against tough bacterial biofilms and a respiratory virus simultaneously. The drug outperforms traditional therapies in the laboratory setting. “To the best of our knowledge, no other antibiotics out there work on both the bacteria and the virus during a co-infection,” said Jennifer M. Bomberger, Ph.D., assistant professor in Pitt’s Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

Chronic infections, such as those that kill cystic fibrosis patients, resist the body’s efforts to clear them from the lungs, sin...

RSV, labeled with GFP to glow green, infects a sample of lung tissue from a deceased donor. New research shows that the virus produces defective genomes that prompt the immune system to eliminate the pathogen. Credit: University of Pennsylvania

Almost all human beings are exposed to the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, before their second birthdays. For most, the symptoms mimic those of the common cold: runny nose, coughing, sneezing, fever. But in some very young infants – and some older adults – the disease can be serious, causing respiratory problems that require hospitalization and increase the risk of developing asthma later in life.

Even in the hospital, doctors can’t do much more than offer supportive care...