Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis: comparative study of RSV groups A and B infected children

Abstract

The grouping characteristics of29 respiratory syncitial virus (RSV) present in nasopharyngeal cells collectedfrom hospitalized children with bronchiolitis during the 1990RSVseason in Porto Alegre, RS, were analysed. Twenty-two were grouped as belonging to group A and 7 to group B. Cyanosis, oxigen therapy, cough, lenght o f hospitalization and atelectasis were observed to be more frequently found within group B infected children. Other clinical signs and symptoms were similarly found in both groups. Key-words: Respiratory syncytial virus. Bronchiolitis. RSV groups A and B.Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children in the world12. It is the main cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under 6 months of age7. Annual epidemics are signalled by an increase in the number of children admitted to hospitals due to bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Two groups of RSV, A and B, had recently been described according to their reactivity with a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs)210. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that these 2 groups can cocirculate in annual epidemics in different regions of the world1 5 9 14 18 20.The recent identification of 2 groups of RSV has led to speculation that these groups may affect severity and recurrence. Studies pertinent to the clinical importance of RSV groups A and B provide limited information and conflicting results51315 21.In this report, clinical aspects of RSV groups A and B were analysed in children under 1 year of age with bronchiolitis in which RSV was detected in clinical samples by immunofluorescence with a polyclonal RSV antiserum.

Prevalence and clinical aspects of respiratory syncytial virus A and B groups in children seen at Hospital de Clínicas of Uberlândia, MG, Brazil

“…We were able to determine the subtype of approximately 64% of RSV-positive specimens. Uncharacterizeable specimens also occurred in studies by other authors (Straliotto et al 1994, Walsh et al 1997, Cintra et al 2001. Papadopoulos et al (2004) typed 59.0% using RT-PCR directly from NPA samples, and, in this study, using the same method and the same primers sequences (Stockton et al 1998), we typed 57.3%.…”

“…RSV isolates are divided into two groups by antigenic and genetic characteristics: A and B (Anderson et al 1985, Peret et al 1998). This has led to the speculation that the specific virus group may affect severity and recurrence of the RSV disease (Straliotto et al 1994). Studies on the clinical aspects associated with each virus group have provide limited information and conflicting results (Walsh et al 1997, Imaz et al 2000, Devincenzo 2004); however, it has become important to understand the possible differences in disease severity between subtypes because more therapeutic and prophy-lactic modalities against RSV have become available, and an understanding of such differences may have an effect on treatment strategies (Papadopoulos et al 2004).…”

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection and its Subgroups Among the Hospitalized Young Children With Acute Respiratory Infection

“…Both subgroups may be circulating in the same outbreak, or one type may clearly be dominant (15,16). The results of phylogenic tree showed only the presence of subgroup A RSV which is in agreement with other studies (14)(15)(16)(18)(19)(20).…”

Respiratory syncytial virus infection in children under one year of age hospitalized for acute respiratory diseases in Pelotas, RS

“…Environmental factors, associated to cold temperatures, especially domestic confinement and contamination by organic residues are responsible for higher respiratory morbidity and mortality during the winter months (18) . These conditions are particularly important for the seasonality of viral infections, mainly by RSV (15,(19)(20)(21) , as observed in the present study. The prevalence of positive RSV was 30.7%, being almost 40% in bronchiolitis, similar to that reported in the literature, with 30 to 40% rate of positive RSV in bronchiolitis (22)(23)(24)(25)(26) by immunofluorescence.…”