The ReSViNET Podcast

What is the role of diagnostic testing in RSV, and when can clinicians rely on clinical assessment alone?
In this episode of The A–Z of RSV, host Natalie Mazur is joined by Ziyaad Dangor and Ashish Satav to explore how RSV is diagnosed across very different healthcare settings.
From South Africa to rural India, they discuss what a clinical diagnosis of RSV looks like in practice, why access to diagnostic testing remains limited in many settings, and whether rapid RSV testing can change clinical decision-making.
The conversation explores the challenges of distinguishing RSV from other respiratory illnesses, differences in diagnostic access and infrastructure, and the potential role of testing in antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance and infection control. The guests also consider why identifying RSV matters beyond the individual patient, including for understanding disease burden and supporting prevention and health policy.
The A–Z of RSV is a ReSViNET podcast series exploring RSV from A to Z with researchers, clinicians and experts from around the world.
Stay up to date with the podcast series by subscribing to the RSV newsletter: https://resvinet.org/sign-up-newsletter/
For more information about ReSViNET, go to www.resvinet.org.
This podcast episode is supported by GSK.

D is for Diagnostics
How do we know when a respiratory infection is caused by RSV? And how has RSV testing changed over time?
In this episode of The A–Z of RSV, host Lieke de Vrankrijker is joined by Professor Peter Richmond, paediatrician and paediatric immunologist from Perth, Australia, to explore the role of diagnostics in RSV.
They discuss why RSV can be difficult to identify based on symptoms alone, how diagnostic testing has evolved from early laboratory methods to PCR and rapid tests, and how the COVID-19 pandemic changed respiratory virus testing. They also consider the role of testing in primary care and at home, and why accurate diagnosis is important for patient care, public health surveillance and understanding the impact of RSV prevention.
The conversation also looks ahead to some of the remaining questions in RSV diagnostics, including how long people remain infectious and how clinicians can recognise secondary bacterial infections.
The A–Z of RSV is a ReSViNET podcast series exploring RSV from A to Z with researchers, clinicians and experts from around the world.
Stay up to date with the podcast series by subscribing to the RSV newsletter:
https://resvinet.org/sign-up-newsletter/
For more information about ReSViNET, go to www.resvinet.org.
This podcast episode is supported by GSK.

26 letters. 26 conversations. One virus.
The A–Z of RSV is a podcast series exploring respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from A to Z.
In each episode, RSV experts explore a different topic, from the science behind the virus and its impact across different ages and populations, to prevention, research and the questions that still remain.
Whether you work in RSV or simply want to understand more, join us as we explore RSV, one letter at a time.

What does RSV have to do with the heart?
In this episode of A–Z of RSV, host Marta Nunes is joined by Prof. Diederick E. Grobbee to explore C for Cardiology and the connection between RSV and cardiovascular disease.
RSV is primarily known as a respiratory infection, but its impact may extend beyond the lungs. Together, Marta and Prof. Grobbee discuss why people with cardiovascular disease may be particularly vulnerable to RSV, and how an acute respiratory infection can place additional stress on an already vulnerable heart.
RSV causes a respiratory infection, but in people with cardiovascular disease, such an infection can also affect the heart. People with cardiovascular disease may be particularly vulnerable to severe RSV disease, while the acute infection can, at the same time, place additional strain on an already vulnerable heart.
They explore how cardiovascular disease can develop silently over time, how viral infections may act as acute triggers, why heart failure deserves particular attention, and what clinicians should know about the relationship between respiratory infections and cardiovascular health.
The conversation also looks at what we still need to learn and why further research is important as new opportunities for RSV prevention become available.
The A–Z of RSV is a ReSViNET podcast series exploring RSV from different perspectives, one letter at a time.
This podcast is part of a ReSViNET educational project supported by GSK.
Stay up to date with the podcast series by subscribing to the RSV newsletter:
https://resvinet.org/sign-up-newsletter/
For more information about ReSViNET, visit:
www.resvinet.org

B is for Burden of Disease
How large is the burden of RSV in infants who are otherwise healthy?
In this episode of The A–Z of RSV, host Lieke de Vrankrijker is joined by paediatric infectious diseases specialist and researcher Joanne Wildenbeest to explore the burden of RSV disease, with a particular focus on healthy term-born infants.
They discuss research showing that RSV burden extends beyond traditionally recognised high-risk groups, including the risk of hospitalisation among otherwise healthy infants and why the youngest babies are particularly vulnerable. The conversation also explores the wider burden of RSV infections managed outside the hospital, the influence of age and seasonality, healthcare-seeking by parents, and the association between RSV and subsequent wheezing.
Looking ahead, Lieke and Joanne discuss how a better understanding of RSV burden can inform prevention and immunisation strategies, and what we still need to learn as RSV prevention is increasingly implemented.
The A–Z of RSV is a ReSViNET podcast series exploring RSV from A to Z with researchers, clinicians and experts from around the world.
Stay up to date with the podcast series by subscribing to the RSV newsletter:
https://resvinet.org/sign-up-newsletter/
For more information about ReSViNET, visit:
www.resvinet.org
This podcast episode is supported by GSK.