Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common viral pathogen associated with acute lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in children under 5 years of age. Severe RSV disease is associated with the development of chronic respiratory complications such as recurrent wheezing and asthma. A common risk factor for developing severe RSV disease is premature gestation and this is largely due to an immature innate immune system. This increases susceptibility to RSV since the innate immune system is less able to protect against pathogens at a time when adaptive immunity has not fully developed. This review focuses on comparing different aspects of innate immunity between preterm and term infants to better understand why preterm infants are more susceptible to severe RSV disease. Identifying early life innate immune biomarkers associated with the development of severe RSV disease, and understanding how these compare between preterm and term infants, remains a critically important question that would aid the development of interventions to reduce the burden of disease in this vulnerable population.

中文翻译：

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早产儿重症呼吸道合胞病毒病：先天不成熟一例

呼吸道合胞病毒 (RSV) 是与 5 岁以下儿童急性下呼吸道感染 (LRTI) 相关的最常见病毒病原体。严重的 RSV 疾病与慢性呼吸系统并发症的发生有关，例如复发性喘息和哮喘。发生严重 RSV 疾病的常见风险因素是早孕，这主要是由于先天免疫系统不成熟。这增加了对 RSV 的易感性，因为先天免疫系统在适应性免疫尚未完全发展的时候保护病原体的能力较低。本综述重点比较早产儿和足月儿先天免疫的不同方面，以更好地理解为什么早产儿更容易感染严重的 RSV 疾病。