Seroepidemiology of Human Syncytial Virus: Antibody Prevalence in the Pacific

Abstract
A seroepidemiological survey of the human syncytial (foamy) virus was done by an indirect immunofluorescence test on 1717 sera from 9 different Pacific island territories [American Samoa, Hawaii (USA), Cook Islands, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Niue, Ponape, Solomon Islands, Tahiti]. The specificity of the reaction was verified by neutralization tests. The virus is ubiquitous in this part of the world, with no region being entirely free of antibody. The antibody prevalence ranged from a low of 1.2% in Ponape to a high of 15.6% in the Cook Islands. The average prevalence for the 9 insular communities was 6.9%.