Infant Infection With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Genotypes and Subsequent Childhood Asthma Risk

The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2026 Open access

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Authors: Christian Rosas‐Salazar, Tebeb Gebretsadik, James D Chappell, R Stokes Peebles, William D. Dupont, Meghan H. Shilts, Samadhan Jadhao, Larry J Anderson, Suman R Das, Tina V Hartert
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiag104
Cited by: 1
References: 14

Abstract

Our objective was to test the hypothesis that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection during infancy with genotypes containing previously reported G gene sequence duplications (Gdups) is associated with an increased risk of childhood asthma. In a population-based, prospective, birth cohort of healthy, term children, we found that children with RSV-A Gdup+ (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.00, 95%CI = 1.15-3.47) and RSV-B Gdup + (aOR = 1.78, 95%CI = 1.01-3.11) infections during infancy had higher odds of 5-year current asthma than those without RSV infection during infancy. These findings are proof-of-concept evidence that RSV genetic variation is associated with variable childhood asthma risk.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Respiratory viral infections research Asthma and respiratory diseases Cystic Fibrosis Research Advances

Publication details

Journal / source
The Journal of Infectious Diseases
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Volume
234
Issue
1
Pages
e34–e39
Publication date
23 February 2026
Language
EN