Journal
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION
Volume 142, Issue 11, Pages 2406-2411Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/S0950268814000028
Keywords
Respiratory infections; respiratory syncytial virus; virology (human) and epidemiology
Funding
- European Regional Development Fund
- Republic of Cyprus through the Research Promotion Foundation [YEIA/YEIA/0609(BIE/25)]
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This study reports the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in hospitalized children in Cyprus over three successive seasons (2010-2013) and the association between prevalent genotypes and disease severity. RSV infections had a circulation pattern from December to March. Most RSV-positive children (83%) were aged <2 years. Genotyping of RSV isolates showed that during the first winter season of the study (2010-2011), the only RSV genotype circulating was GA2 (RSV-A), followed by genotype BA (RSV-B) in the next winter season with only few sporadic cases of GA2. During the last winter season of the study (2012-2013) the newly emerged RSV genotype ON1 (RSV-A) was virtually the only circulating genotype. Children infected with genotype ON1 suffered a significantly milder illness compared to infections with genotypes GA2 and BA with a higher percentage of BA-infected children requiring oxygen. Our findings are in contrast to the majority of published reports that suggest RSV-A causes more severe illness than RSV-B. Therefore, further investigation of the association between RSV genotypes and disease severity is required, as it might affect treatment strategies in the future.
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