Bacterial and Viral Coinfections with the Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus

The human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is one of the leading causes of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children under five years old. Notably, hRSV infections can give way to pneumonia and predispose to other respiratory complications later in life, such as asthma. Even though the social and economic burden associated with hRSV infections is tremendous, there are no approved vaccines to date to prevent the disease caused by this pathogen. Recently, coinfections and superinfections have turned into an active field of study, and interactions between many viral and bacterial pathogens have been studied. hRSV is not an exception since polymicrobial infections involving this virus are common, especially when illness has evolved into pneumonia. Here, we review the epidemiology and recent findings regarding the main polymicrobial infections involving hRSV and several prevalent bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, human rhinoviruses, influenza A virus, human metapneumovirus, and human parainfluenza viruses. As reports of most polymicrobial infections involving hRSV lack a molecular basis explaining the interaction between hRSV and these pathogens, we believe this review article can serve as a starting point to interesting and very much needed research in this area.

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Evaluation of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 among Hospitalized Children in Northwest of Iran

Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology ◽

10.1155/2021/2270307 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Zahra Ramezannia ◽

Javid Sadeghi ◽

Shahram Abdoli Oskouie ◽

Mohammad Ahangarzadeh Rezaee ◽

Hossein Bannazadeh Baghi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Winter Season ◽

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Respiratory Pathogens ◽

Limited Information ◽

Syncytial Virus ◽

Tract Infections

Background. Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are the leading cause of illnesses in children. Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) and human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) are among the most common etiologic agents associated with viral respiratory tract infections in children worldwide. Nevertheless, limited information is available on the spread of infections of these two viruses in northwest Iran. Objective. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the frequency of RSV and HPIV-3 and clinical features among Iranian children with confirmed respiratory infections between April 2019 and March 2020. Methods. 100 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from hospitalized patients (under 5 years old) with ARTI from Tabriz Children’s Hospital. Detection of respiratory viruses was performed using the nested RT-PCR method. Results. Respiratory syncytial virus and HPIV-3 were recognized in 18% (18/100) and 2% (2/100) of children, respectively. Ten (55.6%) of the RSV-positive samples were male, while 8 (44.4%) were female. HPIV‐3 was found only among 2 male patients (100%). Most patients (61.1%) with RSV infection were less than 12 months old. Additionally, samples that were positive for HPIV-3 were less than 12 months old. RSV infections had occurred mainly during the winter season. Conclusions. This study confirms that RSV can be one of the important respiratory pathogens in children in northwestern Iran. However, according to this study, HPIV-3 has a lower prevalence among children in this area than RSV. Therefore, implementing a routine diagnosis for respiratory pathogens can improve the management of respiratory infections in children.

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Circulation of Respiratory Viruses in Hospitalized Adults before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brescia, Italy: A Retrospective Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18189525 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (18) ◽

pp. 9525

Author(s):

Maria Antonia De Francesco ◽

Caterina Pollara ◽

Franco Gargiulo ◽

Mauro Giacomelli ◽

Arnaldo Caruso

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Influenza A ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Respiratory Viruses ◽

Influenza Viruses ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Nucleic Acid Detection ◽

Respiratory Pathogens ◽

Syncytial Virus ◽

Human Coronaviruses

Different preventive public health measures were adopted globally to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2, such as hand hygiene and the use of masks, travel restrictions, social distance actions such as the closure of schools and workplaces, case and contact tracing, quarantine and lockdown. These measures, in particular physical distancing and the use of masks, might have contributed to containing the spread of other respiratory viruses that occurs principally by contact and droplet routes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of different respiratory viruses (influenza viruses A and B, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza viruses 1, 2, 3 and 4, rhinovirus, adenovirus, metapneumovirus and human coronaviruses) after one year of the pandemic. Furthermore, another aim was to evaluate the possible impact of these non-pharmaceutical measures on the circulation of seasonal respiratory viruses. This single center study was conducted between January 2017–February 2020 (pre-pandemic period) and March 2020–May 2021 (pandemic period). All adults >18 years with respiratory symptoms and tested for respiratory pathogens were included in the study. Nucleic acid detection of all respiratory viruses was performed by multiplex real time PCR. Our results show that the test positivity for influenza A and B, metapneumovirus, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus and human coronaviruses decreased with statistical significance during the pandemic. Contrary to this, for adenovirus the decrease was not statistically significant. Conversely, a statistically significant increase was detected for rhinovirus. Coinfections between different respiratory viruses were observed during the pre-pandemic period, while the only coinfection detected during pandemic was between SARS-CoV-2 and rhinovirus. To understand how the preventive strategies against SARS-CoV-2 might alter the transmission dynamics and epidemic patterns of respiratory viruses is fundamental to guide future preventive recommendations.

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Genotyping of Type A Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Based on Direct F Gene Sequencing

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina55050169 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 (5) ◽

pp. 169 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Daifullah Al Aboud ◽

Nora M. Al Aboud ◽

Mater I. R. Al-Malky ◽

Ahmed S. Abdel-Moneim

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Mutational Analysis ◽

Gene Sequencing ◽

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Escape Mutant ◽

Respiratory Pathogens ◽

Virus Genotype ◽

F Gene ◽

Syncytial Virus

Background and objectives: The human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is among the important respiratory pathogens affecting children. Genotype-specific attachment (G) gene sequencing is usually used to determine the virus genotype. The reliability of the fusion (F) gene vs. G gene genotype-specific sequencing was screened. Materials and Methods: Archival RNA from Saudi children who tested positive for hRSV-A were used. Samples were subjected to a conventional one-step RT-PCR for both F and G genes and direct gene sequencing of the amplicons using the same primer sets. Phylogeny and mutational analysis of the obtained sequences were conducted. Results: The generic primer set succeeded to amplify target gene sequences. The phylogenetic tree based on partial F gene sequencing resulted in an efficient genotyping of hRSV-A strains equivalent to the partial G gene genotyping method. NA1, ON1, and GA5 genotypes were detected in the clinical samples. The latter was detected for the first time in Saudi Arabia. Different mutations in both conserved and escape-mutant domains were detected in both F and G. Conclusion: It was concluded that a partial F gene sequence can be used efficiently for hRSV-A genotyping.

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Clinical characterization of influenza A and human respiratory syncytial virus among patients with influenza like illness

Journal of Medical Virology ◽

10.1002/jmv.24607 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 89 (1) ◽

pp. 49-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Swati Saxena ◽

Dharamveer Singh ◽

Amreen Zia ◽

Jyoti Umrao ◽

Naveen Srivastava ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Influenza A ◽

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Influenza Like Illness ◽

Syncytial Virus

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Comparison of 11 respiratory pathogens among hospitalized children before and during the COVID-19 epidemic in Shenzhen, China

Virology Journal ◽

10.1186/s12985-021-01669-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Li Li ◽

Heping Wang ◽

Ailiang Liu ◽

Rongjun Wang ◽

Tingting Zhi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Multiplex Pcr ◽

Detection Rate ◽

Human Metapneumovirus ◽

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Hospitalized Children ◽

Respiratory Pathogens ◽

Detection Rates ◽

Syncytial Virus ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The effect of SARS-CoV-2 on existing respiratory pathogens in circulation remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the prevalence of respiratory pathogens among hospitalized children. Methods This study enrolled hospitalized children with acute respiratory infections in Shenzhen Children’s Hospital from September to December 2019 (before the COVID-19 epidemic) and those from September to December 2020 (during the COVID-19 epidemic). Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected, and respiratory pathogens were detected using multiplex PCR. The absolute case number and detection rates of 11 pathogens were collected and analyzed. Results A total of 5696 children with respiratory tract infection received multiplex PCR examination for respiratory pathogens: 2298 from September to December 2019 and 3398 from September to December 2020. At least one pathogen was detected in 1850 (80.5%) patients in 2019, and in 2380 (70.0%) patients in 2020; the detection rate in 2020 was significantly lower than that in 2019.The Influenza A (InfA) detection rate was 5.6% in 2019, but 0% in 2020. The detection rates of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Human adenovirus, and Human rhinovirus also decreased from 20% (460), 8.9% (206), and 41.8% (961) in 2019 to 1.0% (37), 2.1% (77), and 25.6% (873) in 2020, respectively. In contrast, the detection rates of Human respiratory syncytial virus, Human parainfluenza virus, and Human metapneumovirus increased from 6.6% (153), 9.9% (229), and 0.5% (12) in 2019 to 25.6% (873), 15.5% (530), and 7.2% (247) in 2020, respectively (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Successful containment of seasonal influenza as a result of COVID-19 control measures will ensure we are better equipped to deal with future outbreaks of both influenza and COVID-19.Caused by virus competition, the detection rates of Human respiratory syncytial virus, Human parainfluenza virus, and Human metapneumovirus increased in Shenzhen,that reminds us we need to take further monitoring and preventive measures in the next epidemic season.

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Evolution of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) over Multiple Seasons in New South Wales, Australia

10.20944/preprints201808.0318.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Francesca Di Giallonardo ◽

Jen Kok ◽

Marian Fernandez ◽

Ian Carter ◽

Jemma L. Geoghegan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Host Population ◽

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Nucleotide Substitutions ◽

South Wales ◽

A Genome ◽

Syncytial Virus ◽

Tract Infections

There is an ongoing global pandemic of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection that results in substantial annual morbidity and mortality. In Australia, RSV is the major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI). Nevertheless, little is known about the extent and origins of genetic diversity of RSV in Australia, nor the factors that shape this diversity. We conducted a genome-scale analysis of RSV infections in New South Wales (NSW). RSV genomes were successfully sequenced for 144 specimens collected between 2010-2016. Of these, 64 belonged to the RSVA and 80 to the RSVB subtype. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a wide diversity of RSV lineages within NSW and that both subtypes evolved rapidly in a strongly clock-like manner, with mean rates of approximately 6-8 x 10-4 nucleotide substitutions per site per year. There was only weak evidence for geographic clustering of sequences, indicative of fluid patterns of transmission within the infected population, and no evidence of any clustering by patient age such that viruses in the same lineages circulate through the entire host population. Importantly, we show that both subtypes circulated concurrently in NSW with multiple introductions into the Australian population in each year, and only limited evidence for multi-year persistence.

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