RSV Test

RSV or respiratory syncytial virus is an infection that affects the respiratory tract. It can become serious and may even warrant a hospital stay if left untreated. It takes between two to eight days from the time of exposure to show symptoms.

You may need an RSV test if you have serious symptoms of infection. These include:

• Fever
• Wheezing
• Severe coughing
• Breathing faster than normal, especially in infants
• Trouble breathing
• Skin that turns blue

Symptoms of severe RSV in infants include:

• Short, shallow, and rapid breathing.
• Flaring (spreading out) of nostrils with every breath
• Belly breathing (look for a “caving in” of the chest in the form of an upside-down “V” starting under the neck)
• Bluish coloring of lips, mouth, and fingernails
• Wheezing (This can be a sign of pneumonia or bronchiolitis.)
• Poor appetite.