Serological Study of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections in Infancy and Childhood

Abstract

A serological investigation has been carried out on paired sera from 148 children over the last three years in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The great majority of these children had serious infection of the lower respiratory tract, mainly bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Serological evidence is presented that about 60% of severe respiratory infections in the children are due to respiratory syncytial virus. The immunological responsiveness of infants to R.S.V. infection increases with age; this is directly related to the decrease in maternal antibody, which disappears by 3 months and is replaced by acquired antibody. Few of the older children showed antibody responses, and this coincided with high acquired antibody titers to R.S.V. Evidence is presented which suggests that an antigenic relationship between measles and R.S.V. is unlikely.