Alternative mechanisms for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and persistence: could RSV be transmitted through the placenta and persist into developing fetal lungs?

These new data challenge the current paradigm that acquisition of RSV infection occurs only after birth and shift attention to the prenatal effects of the virus, with the potential to result in more severe and lasting consequences by interfering with crucial developmental processes. The most immediate implication is that prophylactic strategies targeted to the mother-fetus dyad may reduce the incidence of postviral sequelae like childhood wheezing and asthma.