Professor Jarrod Mousa, Ph. D.
Mousa Lab makes breakthrough
toward PIV treatment and prevention
By Audrey Post FSU College of Medicine
Human parainfluenza viruses( PIVs) are among the most prevalent and dangerous viruses you may never have heard of.
Four types of PIVs circulate worldwide each year, and although infections occur in people of all ages, PIVs primarily cause severe respiratory disease in infants, young children, the elderly, immunocompromised and those with preexisting respiratory conditions, such as lung transplants or asthma, according to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention( CDC). PIV infections can develop into bronchitis and pneumonia, leading to hospitalization and death in high-risk populations.
The risk is particularly great for young children. PIV Type 3( PIV3) causes 18 million cases of acute lower respiratory infection globally each year, leading to 700,000 hospital admissions and 34,000 deaths in children younger than 5, according to research published in peer-reviewed virology journals – including the Journal of Clinical Virology, Virol-
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