Serological evidence of substantial respiratory syncytial virus infection burden among older adults residing in Swedish long-term care facilities
We observed substantial respiratory virus circulation among older adults in Swedish LTCFs and show that RSV burden is under-reported. The results highlight a need for further research into the role of RSV pre-F antibody levels in preventing severe outcomes, potentially via vaccination of LTCF residents. Our scalable serological surveillance system is a valuable approach to detect respiratory infections in LTCFs, independent of symptom presentation or healthcare-seeking behaviour.
Authors
- Kim Balaton Blom
- Erick Bermúdez-Méndez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9241-7898)
- Preeti Moar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7773-3240)
- Florian Gegenfurtner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2845-9449)
- Christoffer Granvik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5257-8109)
- Peter Fjällström
- Julia Wigren Byström
- Mikael Åberg
- Karin Loré
- Johan Normark
- Anders F. Johansson
- Mattias N. E. Forsell
Institutions
- Uppsala University (SE)
- Public Health Agency of Sweden (SE)
- Karolinska University Hospital (SE)
- Science for Life Laboratory (SE)
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- Umeå University (SE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Medicine
- Published
- 2026-02-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04700-7
- Primary Topic
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Public Health Agency
- Karolinska Institutet