plural respiratory syncytial viruses
Definition of respiratory syncytial virus
: a pneumovirus (species Human orthopneumovirus of the genus Orthopneumovirus) that usually causes mild infections of the upper respiratory tract but may progress to bronchiolitis and pneumonia especially in infants
Respiratory syncytial virus causes colds in older children and adults, but in infants it can develop into bronchiolitis, a dangerous, even life-threatening, lower-respiratory infection.— Perri Klass
Note: Respiratory syncytial virus was initially identified in 1956 and was formerly classified as a paramyxovirus.
—abbreviation RSVTest Your Vocabulary
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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The first known use of respiratory syncytial virus was in 1957
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