Respiratory syncytial virus vaccines for otitis media.

RSV is a high priority for vaccine development because of its propensity to cause pneumonia and bronchiolitis in the infant and young child. Since RSV infection is likely to be a substantial contributor to otitis media, a vaccine could also decrease rates of this disease. No vaccine has yet been developed but it is hoped that the availability of an RSV infectious clone will make it possible to develop a live virus vaccine for the infant and young child. Subunit RSV vaccines are being developed for previously infected persons, i.e. in older children at high risk for RSV disease and the elderly. An effective RSV vaccine for the infant and young child could markedly decrease otitis media disease.