Overview
- The Science Immunology paper from VIB–Ghent University with Danish collaborators reports that early-infancy RSV infection substantially raises the likelihood of childhood asthma.
- The team combined nationwide Danish health registry analyses with controlled laboratory experiments to probe how infection timing and inherited factors shape risk.
- Researchers observed that severe RSV in the first months of life primes immune cells to overreact to common allergens such as house dust mites.
- The effect was strongest in infants with a family history of allergy or asthma, where parent-derived allergen-specific antibodies heightened sensitivity.
- In experimental models, shielding newborns from RSV prevented the immune changes and stopped asthma development, pointing to benefits from maternal vaccination and long-acting antibodies despite uneven uptake.