SIDS AND RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS - PA THOLOGICAL-STUDY

Epidemiological data implicate the viral infection of respiratory trac t in aetiology of SIDS. Similar histological findings are found in lun gs of respiratory viral illness with fatal issue and lungs of SIDS whe re respiratory infection is observed for about 60% of cases. The histo logical appearance of respiratory viral infection is lymphoid inflamma tory infiltrates in the upper and the lower respiratory tract. RSV is responsible of a severe bronchiolitis in infants aged 3 months or less , age of the higher incidence of MSN. In older infants alveolar and in terstitial pneumonia may be observed. In some cases inflammatory chang es in the cardiac conducting system and myocard are present. RSV is id entified by different methods-culture, direct-immunofluorescence assay , ELISA on secretions and by culture, immunostaining on tissues. The r espiratory viruses were detected with an incidence of 20 to 30%. Confl icting results and probably an underestimation of the true incidence a re due to technical difficulties, post-mortem delay, low viral road. N ewer more sensitive techniques, such as PCR and detection of IFNa must allow a better evaluation of the incidence of RSV and other viral inf ections and a better understanding of the mechanism of death in MSN.