Viral load in hospitalized infants with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis: a three-way comparative analysis

Inbal Golan- Tripto, Dana Danino, Leon De Waal, Khaled Akel, Yotam Dizitzer- Hillel, Asher Tal, Yasmine Langman, Aviv Goldbart

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Viral load measurement of Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in acute bronchiolitis depends on specimen collection, viral load quantification, and transport media. The aim of this study was to investigate viral load in three-way-comparative analyses; nasal swab versus nasal wash, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) versus cell tissue culture, and various transport media. A prospective cohort study of infants aged < 12 months, admitted to the Soroka Medical Center, due to acute bronchiolitis, was conducted. Two nasal swabs and two nasal wash samples (in UTM and VCM) were collected from each infant upon admission and after 48 h. Samples were immediately stored at −80 °C and tested at Viroclinics DDL (Rotterdam, Netherlands). Quantitative RT-PCR and quantitative virus culture were performed using tissue culture infective dose (TCID50). Spearman’s correlation coefficient test assessed the correlation between the different methods, viral load, and clinical severity score. One hundred samples were collected from 13 infants (mean age 5.7 ± 3.8 months, 46% males). Twelve patients were RSV-A positive, and one was RSV-B positive. A high correlation was found between transport media- UTM and VCM (0.92, P < 0.001) and between nasal swabs and nasal wash samples (0.62, P = 0.02). RSV signals were higher in nasal wash than in swabs. PCR signals were lower in the second collection compared to the first. No correlation was found between viral load and clinical severity. Conclusion: RSV viral load is comparable across nasal wash, nasal swabs, and various transport media. However, it did not correlate with clinical severity, probably due to the limited sample size. Broader analyses are warranted. (Table presented.)

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3471-3478
Number of pages8
JournalEuropean Journal of Pediatrics
Volume183
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Aug 2024

Keywords

  • Bronchiolitis
  • Nasal swab
  • Nasal wash
  • Respiratory syncytial virus
  • Viral load

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

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