Molecular epidemiology of human respiratory syncytial virus in Uruguay: 1985-2001 - A review

The variability of the G glycoprotein from human respiratory syncytial viruses (HRSV) (groups A and B) isolated during 17 consecutive epidemics in Montevideo, Uruguay have been analyzed. Several annual epidemics were studied, where strains from groups A and B circulated together throughout the epidemics with predominance of one of them. Usually, group A predominates, but in some epidemics group B is more frequently detected. To analyse the antigenic diversity of the strains, extracts of cells infected with different viruses of group A were tested with a panel of anti-G monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). The genetic variability of both groups was analyzed by sequencing the C-terminal third of the G protein gene. The sequences obtained together with previously published sequences were used to perform phylogenetic analyses. The data from Uruguayan isolates, together with those from the rest of the world provide information regarding worldwide strain circulation. Phylogenetic analyses of HRSV from groups A and B show a model of evolution analogous to the one proposed for influenza B viruses providing information that would be beneficial for future immunization programs and to design safe vaccines.