Abstract
RSV is the most important viral cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in children worldwide and has been associated with significant disease burden. With the renewed interest in RSV vaccines, we provide realistic estimates on duration, and influencing factors on RSV shedding which are required to better understand the impact of vaccination on the virus transmission dynamics. The data arise from a prospective study of 47 households (493 individuals) in rural Kenya, followed through a 6-month period of an RSV seasonal outbreak. Deep nasopharyngeal swabs were collected twice each week from all household members, irrespective of symptoms, and tested for RSV by multiplex PCR. The RSV G gene was sequenced. A total of 205 RSV infection episodes were detected in 179 individuals from 40 different households. The infection data were interval censored and assuming a random event time between observations, the average duration of virus shedding was 11·2 (95% confidence interval 10·1-12·3) days. The shedding durations were longer than previous estimates (3·9-7·4 days) based on immunofluorescence antigen detection or viral culture, and were shown to be strongly associated with age, severity of infection, and revealed potential interaction with other respiratory viruses. These findings are key to our understanding of the spread of this important virus and are relevant in the design of control programmes.
Highlights
A total of 205 infection episodes were observed with 155 individuals experiencing one episode, 22 with two episodes and two individuals experiencing three episodes (Fig. 1)
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) group A was associated with 88 infection episodes, RSV group B with 113 while seven episodes were co-infections
The rate of RSV recovery was lower by 65% in episodes with co-infection compared to those without, with a similar result for each virus individually
Summary
The study was undertaken in rural coastal Kenya within the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) [8]. A prospective cohort study was undertaken with a recruitment target of 50 RSV-naive infants and their household members. A household was defined as a group of individuals living in the same compound and with common cooking arrangements. Households were eligible if they contained a child born after the end of the 2008–2009 RSV epidemic, and one or more older siblings (aged
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
