title: Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus infections among children and adults in Mexico.
abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading etiological agent of acute respiratory tract infections and hospitalizations in children. However, little information is available regarding RSV infections in Latin American countries, particularly among adult patients.
  
  
  
  To describe the epidemiology of RSV infection and to analyze the factors associated with severe infections in children and adults in Mexico.
  
  
  
  Patients ≥1 month old, who presented with an influenza-like illness (ILI) to six hospitals in Mexico, were eligible for participation in the study. Multiplex reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction identified viral pathogens in nasal swabs from 5629 episodes of ILI. Patients in whom RSV was detected were included in this report.
  
  
  
  Respiratory syncytial virus was detected in 399 children and 171 adults. RSV A was detected in 413 cases and RSV B in 163, including six patients who had coinfection with both subtypes; 414 (72.6%) patients required hospital admission, including 96 (16.8%) patients that required admission to the intensive care unit. Coinfection with one or more respiratory pathogens other than RSV was detected in 159 cases. Young age (in children) and older age (in adults) as well as the presence of some underlying conditions were associated with more severe disease.
  
  
  
  This study confirms that RSV is an important respiratory pathogen in children in Mexico. In addition, a substantial number of cases in adults were also detected highlighting the relevance of this virus in all ages. It is important to identify subjects at high risk of complications who may benefit from current or future preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ana E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Gamiño-Arroyo
authors.affiliation: Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Sarbelio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moreno-Espinosa
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Llamosas-Gallardo
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ana A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Hernández
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: M Lourdes
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Guerrero
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galindo-Fraga
authors.affiliation: Mexico Emerging Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Network Coordinating Center, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Juan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Galán-Herrera
authors.affiliation: Agencia de Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Prado-Galbarro
authors.affiliation: Leidos Biomedical, Frederick, MD, in support of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Beigel
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Guillermo M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Palacios
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Noyola
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D060085:Coinfection / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: acute respiratory tract infections; bronchiolitis; influenza-like illness; pneumonia; respiratory syncytial virus