Proposal for Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Nomenclature below the Species Level
Vahid Salimi, Mariana Viegas, Alfonsina Trento, Charles N. Agoti, Larry J. Anderson, Vasanthi Avadhanula, Justin Bahl, Louis Bont, J. Rodney Brister, Patricia A. Cane, Mónica Galiano, Barney S. Graham, Eneida Hatcher, Orienka Hellferscee, David Henke, Siddhivinayak Hirve, Sandra Jackson, Els Keyaerts, Leyla Kragten‐Tabatabaie, Stephen Lindstrom, Inne Nauwelaers, D. James Nokes, Peter Openshaw, Teresa C. T. Peret, Pedro A. Piedra, Kaat Ramaekers, Annabel Rector, Nídia S. Trovão, Anne von Gottberg, Maria Zambon, Wenqing Zhang, Thomas Williams, Ian Barr, Ursula J. Buchholz
Abstract
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.