Early Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection and Asthmatic Responses.
Catherine Ptaschinski, Nicholas W Lukacs
Author Information
Catherine Ptaschinski: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, 109 Zina Pitcher Way, 4059 BSRB, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2200, USA.
Nicholas W Lukacs: Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center, University of Michigan Medical School, 109 Zina Pitcher Way, 4059 BSRB, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2200, USA. Electronic address: nlukacs@umich.edu.
The infant's developing immune response is central to establishing a balanced system that reacts appropriately to infectious stimuli, but does not induce altered disease states with potential long-term sequelae. Respiratory syncytial virus may alter the immune system, affecting future responses. Early infection may have direct effects on the lung itself. Other early life processes contribute to the development of immune responses including assembly of the microbiome, which seems to have a particularly important role for establishing the immune environment. This review covers studies that have set up important paradigms and discusses recent data that direct research toward informative hypotheses.
