respiratory syncytial virus
American Heritage Dictionary:
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respiratory syncytial virus
n. (Abbr. RSV)
An RNA-containing virus that causes minor respiratory infections in adults and bronchitis and bronchopneumonia in children.
McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Encyclopedia:
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Respiratory syncytial virus
A virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae, genus Pneumovirus. This virus, although unrelated to any other known respiratory disease agent and differing from the parainfluenza viruses in a number of important characteristics, has been associated with, a large proportion of respiratory illnesses in very young children, particularly bron-chiolitis and pneumonia. It appears to be one of the major causes of these serious illnesses of infants. It is the only respiratory virus that occurs with its greatest frequency in infants in their first 6 months of life. In older infants and children, a milder illness is produced.
The clinical disease in young infants may be the result of an antigen-antibody reaction that occurs when the infecting virus meets antibody transmitted from the mother. For this reason respiratory syncytial vaccines that stimulate production of antibodies in the serum, but not in the nasal secretions, may do more harm than good. See also Animal virus; Virus classification.
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary:
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respiratory syncytial virus
n. (Abbr. Rs virus)
An RNA-containing virus that causes minor respiratory infections in adults and bronchitis and bronchopneumonia in children.
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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McGraw-Hill Science & Technology Encyclopedia
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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