title: Eleven consecutive years of respiratory syncytial virus outbreaks in Croatia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in infants. The aim of the present study was to analyze the epidemiologic characteristics of RSV outbreaks in Croatian children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a period of 11 consecutive years (1994-2005), 3435 inpatients with acute respiratory infections (ARI) aged from birth to 10 years and were residing in Zagreb County were tested for infection with RSV and other respiratory viruses at the Virology Department, Croatian National Institute of Public Health. RSV was identified in nasopharyngeal secretions by isolation on cell culture and/or detection with monoclonal antibodies using a direct fluorescence assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RSV was the most common causative agent of ARI (42.2%; 658/1559) for the infants 0-6 months of age. It was also the etiologic agent of LRTI in 49% (495/1010) of infants of similar age. RSV was demonstrated in 56.5% (382/676) of infants with bronchiolitis, and in 36.5% (49/134) of those with pneumonia in this age group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overall prevalence of RSV infection in Croatian children with acute respiratory illness, and its occurrence in various age groups, has remained stable over the past decade. RSV was found to be the most common cause of bronchiolitis occurring throughout childhood (52.7%; 482/913).
authors.affiliation: Virology Department, Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Rockefellerova, Zagreb, Croatia. gordana.galinovic@hzjz.hr
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mlinaric-Galinovic
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vilibic-Cavlek
authors.forename: Suncanica
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ljubin-Sternak
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Drazenovic
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Galinovic
authors.forename: Vlatka
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tomic
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Welliver
mesh_terms: D000257:Adenoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D001988:Bronchiolitis / Q000821:virology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D018184:Paramyxoviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*