How Respiratory Syncytial Virus Genotypes Influence the Clinical Course in Infants Hospitalized for Bronchiolitis
We aimed to study respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genotype distribution, clinical presentation, and disease severity in infants with bronchiolitis from RSV subtypes and new RSV genotypes. Methods: We prospectively enrolled previously healthy term infants less than one year old hospitalized for bronchiolitis in an Italian University hospital over 12 epidemic seasons. In 312 nasopharyngeal washings positive to RSV, we sequenced the viral genotype and analysed it according to patient data. Strain-specific RSV loads were quantified for 300 specimens.