Current situation and future perspectives of vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus

Abstract

The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the cause of acute respiratory pathologies (bronchiolitis and pneumonia) that occurs preferably as epidemic in the winter months. RSV is a good vaccine candidate since as a virus it has shown genetic and antigenic stability, most infections are self-limited and the only natural reservoir is humans. According to epidemiological data, there are three target populations that require different approaches for the RSV vaccine: naive children < 4–6 months, children > 6 months, and >65 years. Multiple vaccine platforms based on the preF protein are currently being studied, although the use of long-lived monoclonal antibodies must be considered in the first year of life. In the child population, beyond this period, attenuated vaccines probably play a relevant role, since they expose the complete viral particle to the immune system and induce a broad-spectrum neutralising antibody response. In the population > 65 years of age, the need to use a subunit vaccine with an adjuvant that stimulates the immune response or mRNA vaccines is evident. The future in the prevention of RSV infection and disease in the human population will be based on the use of monoclonal antibodies and vaccines adapted to each age group.