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;27

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.