In the WHO European Region, COVID-19 surveillance was implemented 27 January 2020. We detail the first European cases. As at 21 February, nine European countries reported 47 cases. Among 38 cases studied, 21 were linked to two clusters in Germany and France, 14 were infected in China. Median case age was 42 years; 25 were male. Late detection of the clusters’ index cases delayed isolation of further local cases. As at 5 March, there were 4,250 cases.

There is a need for rapid, sensitive, and accurate diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infections in children, elderly, and immunocompromised patients, who are susceptible to serious complications. The multiplex RT-nested PCR assay has been used widely for simultaneous detection of non-related viruses involved in infectious diseases because of its high specificity and sensitivity. A new multiplex RT-PCR assay is described in this report. This approach includes nested primer sets targeted to conserve regions of human parainfluenza virus haemagglutinin, human coronavirus spike protein, and human enterovirus and rhinovirus polyprotein genes. It permits rapid, sensitive, and simultaneous detection and typing of the four types of parainfluenza viruses (1, 2, 3, 4AB), human coronavirus 229E and OC43, and the generic detection of enteroviruses and rhinoviruses. The testing of 201 clinical specimens with this multiplex assay along with other one formerly described by our group to simultaneously detect and type the influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial viruses, and a generic detection of all serotypes of adenovirus, covers the detection of most viruses causing respiratory infectious disease in humans. The results obtained were compared with conventional viral culture, immunofluorescence assay, and a third multiplex RT-PCR assay for all human parainfluenza viruses types described previously. In conclusion, both multiplex RT-PCR assays provide a system capable of detecting and identifying simultaneously 14 different respiratory viruses in clinical specimens with high sensitivity and specificity, being useful for routine diagnosis and survey of these viruses within the population.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), a member of the Pneumovirus genus within the Paramyxoviridae family, is recognized as the leading agent responsible for severe respiratory infections in the pediatric population (31, 34, 35) and a pathogen of considerable importance in vulnerable adults (23,24). The global respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease burden is estimated at 64 million cases and 160,000 deaths every year (70). This virus causes regular seasonal epidemics which take place during the winter months in temperate countries or during the rainy season in tropical areas (12). A peculiar aspect of HRSV is that the immune response produced by infection does not confer long-lasting protection, which is why reinfections are common throughout life (30).Neutralization tests performed with hyperimmune serum (16) and reactivity with specific monoclonal antibodies (4, 45) were used to classify HRSV isolates into two antigenic groups, A and B, which correlated with genetically distinct viruses (18). The main differences between these two groups are located in the major attachment G protein. This protein is a type II glycoprotein that shares neither sequence nor structural features with the attachment proteins (HN or H) of other paramyxoviruses (69), and it represents one of the targets of the immune response (27, 43). The full-length membranebound G protein (Gm) of 292 to 319 amino acids (depending on the viral strain) is also expressed in a secreted version (Gs) that lacks the transmembrane domain due to alternative initiation of translation at a second in-frame AUG codon in the G open reading frame (M48) (52). The G protein is the viral gene product with the highest degree of antigenic and genetic diversity among viral isolates (4,18,28,45). Most changes are concentrated in two hypervariable regions that flank a highly conserved central region of the G protein ectodomain, which includes a cluster of four cysteines and the putative receptor binding site (43). It has been suggested that antigenic differences within this protein could facilitate repeated HRSV infections (37,59). In addition, positive selection of amino acid changes was observed in the two hypervariable regions of the G protein ectodomain (7,43,71,73,74). One of the hypervariable regions, located in the C-terminal one-third of the G molecule, contains multiple epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies (43), suggesting that immune selection of new variants by antibodies may contribute to generation of HRSV diversity.Phylogenetic studies based on sequence analysis of the G protein have identified numerous genotypes in the antigenic groups A and B that show complex circulation patterns, since multiple genotypes of both antigenic groups may circulate within the same season and community, with one or two dominant genotypes being replaced in successive years (13,14,26,27,32,49,50). Each community shows a seasonal circulation