Epidemiological changes of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in Israel

PLoS One. 2014 Mar 3;9(3):e90515. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090515. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

RSV is the leading cause of lower respiratory-tract infections in infants and therefore demands in-depth epidemiological characterization. We investigated here the distribution of RSV types in Israel between the years 2005-2012. Clinical samples were collected from 11,018 patients hospitalized due to respiratory illnesses and were evaluated for the presence of various respiratory viruses, including RSV A and RSV B. Until 2008, each year was characterized by the presence of one dominant type of RSV. However, from 2008, both RSV A and B types were detected at significant levels, particularly among infants aged 0-2 years. Furthermore, significant changes in the RSV A and RSV B subtypes circulating in Israel since 2008 were observed. Finally, we demonstrate that, irrespectively of the changes observed in RSV epidemiology, when the pandemic H1N1pdm09 influenza virus appeared in 2009, RSV infections were delayed and were detected when infection with H1N1pdm09 had declined.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Cluster Analysis
  • DNA Primers / genetics
  • History, 21st Century
  • Humans
  • Israel / epidemiology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny*
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / history
  • Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / genetics*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • RNA, Viral

Grants and funding

The authors have no support or funding to report.