Respiratory syncytial virus. An outbreak of acute respiratory illnesses in a home for infants.

Abstract

SummaryA report is given of an outbreak of acute respiratory illness in a home for infants in Stockholm. Respiratory syncytial (RX) virus was recovered from nasopharyngeal and/or throat swabs from 13 out of 15 infants (1–13 months old). Complement fixation (CF) tests against RS antigen showed at least 4‐fold rises of antibody titre in 7 out of 15 paired sera, including sera from two infants, from whom no virus was isolated. There was no rise in CF antibody titre against adenovirus, influenza A and B, parainfluenza 1, 2 and 3, mumps or herpes simplex antigens. RS virus was recovered 2 days before the onset of illness as well as 9 days afterwards. The incubation period was estimated to be from 3 to 5 days.All infants living in the home fell ill during a period from April 4 to April 30, 1964. Two‐thirds of the infants had febrile nasopharyngitis with cough and one‐third had symptoms and signs from the lower parts of the respiratory tract. Two infants had bronchopneumonia and two others were critically ill in bronchiolitis. All infants survived.