RSV Shown to Damage Nerve Cells and Trigger Inflammation

Study suggests the virus has the potential to infect beyond the respiratory tract.
RSV Shown to Damage Nerve Cells and Trigger Inflammation
Study could explain why some children who contract RSV report neurological symptoms. ART-ur/Shutterstock
|Updated:
0:00

Respiratory syncytial virus, more commonly known as RSV, has been shown to infect nerve cells and trigger inflammation that can damage nerve cells, according to a new study by Tulane University researchers.

The study, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, is the first to indicate that the virus can penetrate nerve cells, offering an insight into why some children who contract RSV report neurological symptoms with the illness.
A.C. Dahnke
A.C. Dahnke
Author
A.C. Dahnke is a freelance writer and editor residing in California. She has covered community journalism and health care news for nearly a decade, winning a California Newspaper Publishers Award for her work.
Related Topics