Human respiratory syncytial virus detection in children admitted at a community hospital in Botucatu, SP, Brazil

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (HRSV) is recognized as the single most important pathogen responsible for acute viral infection of the lower respiratory tract in young children. In this study, 84 samples from children under two years of age presenting acute respiratory symptoms were obtained from September 2000 to November 2001. Analysis by immunofluorescence and reverse-transcription followed by PCR, revealed that 18% (15/84) of all the samples were positive for HRSV, in which 80% (12/15) of the cases was observed in children under six months of age and the subgroups A and B co-circulated in the studied period. These are the first data obtained for Botucatu city and seasonality is evident by the higher circulation of the virus between May and July.