Respiratory syncytial virus vaccine development

Respiratory syncytial virus is the major respiratory pathogen of infants and children worldwide. Currently, there is no effective vaccine to protect against respiratory syncytial virus infection. Immunoprophylaxis with hyperimmune globulin or with a humanized monoclonal antibody is expensive, limited to children with underlying disease, and not practical for general use. Antiviral therapy is controversial and of limited effectiveness. New approaches to the development of a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus infection are promising. Several subunit vaccines and live attenuated virus vaccines are immunogenic and safe in children and adults. This review focuses on potential vaccine candidates and the challenges these candidate vaccines must overcome. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Inc.