title: Relating plaque morphology to respiratory syncytial virus subgroup, viral load, and disease severity in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Viral culture plaque morphology in human cell lines are markers for growth capability and cytopathic effect, and have been used to assess viral fitness and select preattenuation candidates for live viral vaccines. We classified respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) plaque morphology and analyzed the relationship between plaque morphology as compared to subgroup, viral load and clinical severity of infection in infants and children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We obtained respiratory secretions from 149 RSV-infected children. Plaque morphology and viral load was assessed within the first culture passage in HEp-2 cells. Viral load was measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as was RSV subgroup. Disease severity was determined by hospitalization, length of stay, intensive care requirement, and respiratory failure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plaque morphology varied between individual subjects; however, similar results were observed among viruses collected from upper and lower respiratory tracts of the same subject. Significant differences in plaque morphology were observed between RSV subgroups. No correlations were found among plaque morphology and viral load. Plaque morphology did not correlate with disease severity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plaque morphology measures parameters that are viral-specific and independent of the human host. Morphologies vary between patients and are related to RSV subgroup. In HEp-2 cells, RSV plaque morphology appears unrelated to disease severity in RSV-infected children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee.|Children's Foundation Research Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Young-In
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee.|Children's Foundation Research Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee.|Children's Foundation Research Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Sirshendu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majumdar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee.|Children's Foundation Research Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Lisa G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Children's Foundation Research Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aitken
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee.|Children's Foundation Research Institute at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.|Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: DeVincenzo
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002460:Cell Line; D003422:Critical Care; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology*; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D019562:Viral Load; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral