Genomic Evolution and Surveillance of Respiratory Syncytial Virus during the 2023–2024 Season

Madeline Yunker; Amary Fall; Julie M. Norton; Omar Abdullah; David A. Villafuerte; Andrew Pekosz; Eili Klein; Heba H. Mostafa

doi:10.3390/v16071122

Viruses (Jul 2024)

Genomic Evolution and Surveillance of Respiratory Syncytial Virus during the 2023–2024 Season

Madeline Yunker,
Amary Fall,
Julie M. Norton,
Omar Abdullah,
David A. Villafuerte,
Andrew Pekosz,
Eili Klein,
Heba H. Mostafa

Affiliations

Madeline Yunker: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Meyer B-121F, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Amary Fall: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Meyer B-121F, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Julie M. Norton: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Meyer B-121F, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Omar Abdullah: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Meyer B-121F, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
David A. Villafuerte: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Meyer B-121F, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Andrew Pekosz: Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Eili Klein: Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Heba H. Mostafa: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Division of Medical Microbiology, Meyer B-121F, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v16071122
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 16, no. 7
p. 1122

Abstract

Read online

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant cause of morbidity, particularly in infants. This study describes RSV genomic diversity and disease outcomes during the 2023–2024 season in the Johns Hopkins Hospital System (JHHS). Between August and December 2023, 406 patient samples were sequenced, showing that RSV-B GB5.0.5a was the dominant genotype detected. RSV-A genotype GA2.3.5 was detected less frequently. Metadata analysis of patient data revealed that, although RSV-B was more commonly detected, patients with RSV-A infections were more frequently hospitalized. Analysis of both the G- and F-genes revealed multiple amino acid substitutions in both RSV-A and RSV-B, with some positions within the F-protein that could be associated with evasion of antibody responses. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the genetic diversity of circulating GB5.0.5a and GA2.3.5 genotypes. This study serves as an important baseline for genomic surveillance of RSV within the JHHS and will assist in characterizing the impact of the newly approved RSV vaccines on RSV genomic evolution and the emergence of escape mutations.

Published in Viruses

ISSN: 1999-4915 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Microbiology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords