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

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.