Overview
- Researchers used human nose organoids grown from infant and adult swabs to compare RSV infection at single-cell resolution.
- Before infection, infant models showed faster cell growth, unique aberrant basaloid cells, and a higher share of mucus-producing secretory cells.
- Primary ciliary cells were identified as the main site of RSV replication in both age groups, a newly reported finding.
- In infants, RSV also infected basal cells and ionocytes, demonstrating broader cellular tropism not observed in adult models.
- RSV drove loss of ciliated cells, increased goblet cells, and reduced club cells—especially in infants—while a less coordinated infant antiviral response left the virus harder to control.