Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Antibodies, IgG and IgM

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of human respiratory infection. It strikes most frequently and severely in the very young and is a common cause of bronchiolitis, pneumonia, or croup in young infants. Infections in older children and adults tend to be milder and to involve the upper respiratory tract. RSV infections are seasonal, from late fall to spring, and often occur in epidemic form.

A normal, or negative, test result indicates that there are no antibodies for RSV in your blood. This means that you’ve never been infected with RSV.

In infants, a positive test result may indicate that the baby has had an RSV infection (recently or in the past), or their mother has passed RSV antibodies to them in utero (before birth). In adults, a positive result means they have had an RSV infection recently or in the past.

Your doctor can use the results of your test to distinguish between a recent and a past infection. In general, the presence of IgM antibodies indicates recent infection, and the presence of IgG antibodies indicates past infection. Most adults and older children have already had an RSV infection and already have RSV antibodies.

• Sample of blood serum
• We perform the test every Friday