RSV

1 of 2

abbreviation or noun

ˌär-ˌes-ˈvē 

plural RSVs

: respiratory syncytial virus

Like many viruses, RSV is spread through contact with an infected person or contaminated objects.

—Nancy Snyderman

RSV, a common respiratory illness that can cause severe breathing problems for babies, has been spreading around the region and the country, and doctors are cautioning about the risks to young children.

—Josette Keelor

RSVs typically emerge in late fall and remain until early spring. However, signs of RSV outbreak began in the middle of April before exponentially increasing by early May.

—Winston Henvey

RSV

2 of 2

abbreviation

Revised Standard Version

Examples of RSV in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Abbreviation or noun

Masking and physical distancing disrupted the normal cycles of many respiratory illnesses, including common colds, RSV and flu. —Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024

She was taken to a hospital for evaluation, and the officers learned that the child was suffering from RSV. —Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024

Moderna forecasts that its respiratory franchise, which includes its COVID-19 vaccine and an upcoming RSV vaccine, will generate $4 billion in revenue this year. —Bruce Gil, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024

Last year, Pfizer and GSK Plc were the first companies to reach the US market with RSV vaccines, and another made by Moderna is expected to gain U.S. approval next month. —TIME, 9 Apr. 2024

Amari was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and spent three weeks in the hospital before recovering and returning home. —CBS News, 29 Mar. 2024

That’s because respiratory viruses like influenza and RSV that could have been confused for Covid — and would have triggered immune responses that would have muddied the immunological picture scientists were seeing — went quiet for the first 18 months or so of the pandemic. —Helen Branswell, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024

The genomic testing of traveler's nasal swabs has mainly been focused on COVID-19, but testing also is being done for two other respiratory viruses — flu and RSV. —Mike Stobbe, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024

The flu is currently the cause of more emergency room visits than COVID-19 and another respiratory illness, known as RSV, in Michigan, especially among children, the department said in email to the Free Press. —Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Abbreviation Or Noun

1961, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

RSV

1 of 2 abbreviation or noun

ˌär-ˌes-ˈvē 

: respiratory syncytial virus

Long considered primarily a pathogen of young children, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been recognized as a cause of upper and lower respiratory tract infections in adults.

—Harvey B. Simon, Science & Medicine

However, upper respiratory tract infections caused by RSV tend to last longer than those caused by other common respiratory agents …

—Caroline Breese, The New England Journal of Medicine

RSV

2 of 2 abbreviation

Rous sarcoma virus