ABSTRACT

Although rare, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections can cause life-threatening extrapulmonary complications in otherwise healthy neonates. In this report, we describe a term infant who was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit with transient tachypnea of the newborn but developed respiratory failure due to RSV bronchiolitis on follow-up which was complicated with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and intestinal perforation. We want to draw attention to the development of NEC in a previously healthy term newborn infant with severe RSV disease, even in the absence of traditional risk factors. We hypothesize that the dysregulated proinflammatory response associated with severe RSV disease may alter intestinal blood flow and normal healthy microbial flora compromising mucosal epithelial cell barrier against bacterial translocation. Enteral feeding intolerance and septic ileus may represent important clinical outcomes in these patients.