title: Characteristics of RSV-Specific Maternal Antibodies in Plasma of Hospitalized, Acute RSV Patients under Three Months of Age.
abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause for respiratory illness that requires hospitalization in infancy. High levels of maternal antibodies can protect against RSV infection. However, RSV-infected infants can suffer from severe disease symptoms even in the presence of high levels of RSV-specific antibodies. This study analyzes several serological characteristics to explore potential deficiencies or surpluses of antibodies that could relate to severe disease symptoms. We compare serum antibodies from hospitalized patients who suffered severe symptoms as well as uninfected infants. Disease severity markers were oxygen therapy, tachypnea, oxygen saturation, admission to the intensive care unit and duration of hospitalization. Antibodies against RSV G protein and a prefusion F epitope correlated with in vitro neutralization. Avidity of RSV-specific IgG antibodies was lower in RSV-infected infants compared to uninfected controls. Severe disease symptoms were unrelated to RSV-specific IgG antibody titers, avidity of RSV-IgG, virus neutralization capacity or titers against pre- and postfusion F or G protein ectodomains and the prefusion F antigenic site Ø. In conclusion, the detailed serological characterization did not indicate dysfunctional or epitope-skewed composition of serum antibodies in hospitalized RSV-infected infants suffering from severe disease symptoms. It remains unclear, whether specific antibody fractions could diminish disease symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jop
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jans
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3266-8075
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wicht
authors.affiliation: Virology Division, Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ivy
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Widjaja
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Inge M L
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Ahout
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Groot
authors.affiliation: Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Teun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Guichelaar
authors.affiliation: Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luytjes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marien I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: de Jonge
authors.affiliation: Virology Division, Department of Infectious Diseases & Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cornelis A M
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: de Haan
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gerben
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferwerda
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D000915:Antibody Affinity / Q000276:immunology; D000918:Antibody Specificity / Q000276:immunology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D006023:Glycoproteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G