RSV Testing: How Do You Know if You or Your Child Has RSV?

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can be difficult to diagnose. As with many viral illnesses, including COVID-19 and the flu, RSV can cause symptoms resembling those of the common cold. This can make it hard for people to know if they have RSV or a different kind of respiratory infection.

But there are a number of tests for adults with RSV and sick babies and older children that can help reveal the source of an illness. Read on to learn more about the different kinds of RSV tests — plus why doctors usually don’t use these tests except in specific circumstances.

Main Types of RSV Tests

There are two main kinds of tests used to diagnose an RSV infection.

The test analyzes a fluid sample taken from the nose and can detect the presence of certain proteins from the virus, called antigens. Antigens trigger the immune system to attack the virus.

“Usually, rapid tests are available at walk-in or urgent care centers, and ERs,” says Sharon Nachman, MD, the chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Medicine in New York.

The samples are usually sent to a lab for testing, and the amount of time it takes to get results can vary.

A type of molecular test called a respiratory pathogens panel checks for numerous viruses and bacteria at the same time, including RSV.

Is There an RSV Home Test?

Unlike with COVID-19, there is no home test for RSV in the United States, says Dr. Nachman.

Americans do have the option of a home collection kit from Labcorp, which is available without a prescription. You swab your nose at home, then send the sample to Labcorp via overnight mail for analysis. Testing searches for three viral infections at once — RSV, COVID-19, and the flu. The analysis takes a day or two, at a cost of $129 (without insurance coverage).

Doctors Typically Diagnose RSV Without Testing

Generally speaking, adults and children with RSV have similar symptoms, says Nachman.

• Runny nose
• Decrease in appetite
• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Fever
• Wheezing

These symptoms usually appear at stages in the illness and not all at once.

Very young infants with RSV may not develop all the above symptoms; sometimes the only indications that a baby is sick are irritability, decreased activity, and trouble breathing.

Should You Get an RSV Test?

It’s important to identify RSV in these cases because of the possibility of serious RSV-related illness, such as bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs), which can lead to hospitalization. 

A Positive RSV Test Doesn’t Usually Lead to RSV Treatment

“The beauty of a diagnostic test is to help with treatment,” says Nachman. That’s useful for COVID-19 and the flu, both of which can be treated with antiviral medication. “But unfortunately, RSV doesn’t have a specific antiviral treatment,” Nachman says.

Instead, doctors will tell you to recover at home by drinking lots of fluids, taking over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol for pain and fever, and resting. “Those things will help you, but they are nonspecific for respiratory viruses,” Nachman says.

The rare exceptions: Babies born at less than 29 weeks and immunocompromised adults who are very sick with RSV may be treated in the hospital with the drug ribavirin, says Nachman.