Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention of Respiratory Viral Infections

Dear Colleagues,

Acute respiratory infections and pneumonia are important causes of hospitalizations and mortality in children and adults and approximately one-third of cases are associated with viral infections. Therefore understanding the pathogenesis of influenza, SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other respiratory viruses is important to public health as well as the development of better vaccines and effective treatment strategies.

There are certain well-recognized risk factors such as extremes of age, pregnancy, and underlying cardiopulmonary conditions that have been shown to predispose individuals infected with viruses to have more severe and complicated outcomes. Yet, the severity of these illnesses can be influenced by many factors including the virus itself and host responses to infection. A common pathogenic mechanism for many respiratory viruses is disruption of the epithelial barrier by pro-inflammatory mediators such as IL6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interferon-γ. Cytokine storms and exaggerated respiratory tract inflammation have been postulated to contribute to disease severity. There is also increasing evidence in the literature for the importance of polymicrobial infections, with studies demonstrating greater rates of hospitalization and the need for ICU care in patients with viral-viral or viral-bacterial coinfections. RSV, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), RSV and human rhinovirus (HRV) infection increases adherence of colonizing bacteria to nasal epithelial cells and influenza suppresses or depletes macrophages and neutrophils. 

Understanding these mechanisms of pathogenesis continues to be the basis for the development of new therapies and vaccines, the field of which has expanded significantly in the last decade and even more rapidly during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.  Here we propose to comprehensively review the basic virology, the pathogenesis of the disease, epidemiology, and current methods of treatment and prevention for respiratory viruses which cause acute illnesses and carry a risk of severe outcomes in pediatric and adult populations.

Dr. Angela Branche
Prof. Dr. David J. Topham
Guest Editors

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• respiratory viruses
• pathogenesis
• treatment
• prevention
• epidemiology