Explore the recorded discovery and history of Respiratory syncytial virus, with source links and stated limits.
WHO describes RSV as an RNA virus that infects cells along the human respiratory tract from the nose to the lungs, causing anything from a mild cold to life-threatening lower respiratory infection. Infants, especially those under six months, are at highest risk of severe disease and death, and RSV also causes severe illness in older adults and people with underlying conditions.
StatPearls records that RSV was first identified in chimpanzees in 1955 and later recognised as a human pathogen. It is a non-segmented, negative-sense RNA virus of the genus Orthopneumovirus, with two antigenic subgroups, RSV-A and RSV-B.
The 1955 record concerns identification of the virus in animals before it was recognised in people, so it does not describe a first human case. No origin country or patient zero is assigned, and further recognition milestones have not been curated for this profile.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.