Abstract

Proposal for Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Nomenclature below the Species Level

Salimi V Viegas M Trento A Agoti CN Anderson LJ Avadhanula V Bahl J Bont L Brister JR Cane PA Galiano M Graham BS Hatcher EL Hellferscee O Henke DM Hirve S Jackson S Keyaerts E Kragten-Tabatabaie L Lindstrom S Nauwelaers I Nokes DJ Openshaw PJ Peret TC Piedra PA Ramaekers K Rector A Trovao NS von Gottberg A Zambon M Zhang W Williams TC Barr IG Buchholz UJ
Emerg Infect Dis. 2021;271-9

Permenent descriptor

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the leading viral cause of serious pediatric respiratory disease, and lifelong reinfections are common. Its 2 major subgroups, A and B, exhibit some antigenic variability, enabling HRSV to circulate annually. Globally, research has increased the number of HRSV genomic sequences available. To ensure accurate molecular epidemiology analyses, we propose a uniform nomenclature for HRSV-positive samples and isolates, and HRSV sequences, namely: HRSV/subgroup identifier/geographic identifier/unique sequence identifier/year of sampling. We also propose a template for submitting associated metadata. Universal nomenclature would help researchers retrieve and analyze sequence data to better understand the evolution of this virus.