accurance of respiratory syncytial virus infection in children referred to kasra hospital diagnostic laboratory during 2009-2011

background and aims: respiratory syncytial virus (rsv) infection is common in infants and young children. in infants younger than one year old it may cause bronchiolitis and pneumonia which requires hospitalization. accurate and rapid diagnosis of the disease will help proper treatment of the disease and prevents further complications. methods: specimen taken from respiratory tract of sick children were processed and fixed for immunofluorescence staining. monoclonal antibody conjugate specific for rsv was used and the specimens were examined by a uv microscope. results: a total of 132 samples examined, 40.1% were positive for rsv. the disease was mostly in children less than 6 months old. it occurred mainly during the winter months and there were no significant differences between the male and female children. conclusion: rsv infects many infants and children annually during the winter. the virus probably infects considerable number of children across iran. proper diagnosis of the disease will help in treatment and control of the disease.