Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a clinically important virus and is the leading viral cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and also causes severe infections in the elderly. RSV infects approximately 60 million people and is responsible for an estimated 160,000 deaths annually worldwide.

To move around within the cell, viruses often attach themselves to the cytoskeleton. This is a protein scaffold that maintains the shape of the cell and helps to transport cellular components. This image shows RSV particles attaching to the cytoskeleton. They are then transported to the cell surface where they will leave the cell by a process known as budding.