2 part problem.
The past couple of months have been hard for Doug and Stacy.Their first baby, Ryan, arrived five weeks early. Ryan stayed inthe hospital for three weeks after he was born, because there weresome issues with his lungs. Nevertheless, the doctors have assuredDoug and Stacy that he will be fine. The first month at home hasbeen exciting but stressful, and Doug and Stacy are just beginningto settle into their roles as new parents. For the past couple ofdays, baby Ryan has been irritable, and Stacy notices that he isn’teating as much as usual. A day or so later, Ryan has a low feverand a slight cough, and he has been sneezing. Doug and Stacy noticea “raspy†sound when Ryan breathes. Worried that there might beproblems related to Ryan’s earlier lung issues, they call Ryan’spediatrician immediately.
Dr. Connors examines Ryan and collects a nasal wash (salinesquirted into and immediately with- drawn from the nostril) to sendfor lab analysis. Noting Ryan’s labored breath sounds and hisprevious lung issues, Dr. Connors admits Ryan to the hospital so hecan be monitored until the lab results return. The analysis of thenasal wash reveals that Ryan has respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).Doug and Stacy are scared by the diagnosis— Ryan’s been through somuch already. Dr. Connors tells them that premature babies likeRyan are at risk for acquiring RSV infection; it is actually verycommon. The Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention (CDC)estimates that almost all children become infected with RSV beforetheir second birthday. There is no specific treatment for RSV, butbecause of Ryan’s medical history, Dr. Connors keeps Ryan in thehospital. Over the next couple of days, Ryan develops bronchiolitis(inflammation of the bronchi- oles). He is treated withsupplemental oxygen and suctioning of mucus to help him breathemore easily. During the next 10 days, Ryan’s conditionprogressively improves, and he returns home, fully recovered.
1. The laboratory test used to identify RSV in Ryan's nasal washis based on detecting RSV antigen in the sample. Describe oneapproach to identifying antigens in a sample from a patient.
2. Even though RSVinfection in infants is common, a vaccine does not currently exist.Imagine you are designing a recombinant vaccine for RSV--what viralcomponents would you use in your vaccine? Justify your choice.
