Respiratory illness and viral infection in an Edinburgh nursery

Abstract

Forty-one children in an Edinburgh nursery were observed for evidence of respiratory illness from November 1963 to April 1964. During this period serial specimens of serum from these children were examined for virus antibodies and serial throat swabs were investigated for the presence of virus. Well-defined outbreaks of respiratory illness occurred and could be associated with respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza 3 virus and influenza C virus infection. Infection with adenovirus followed a more endemic pattern. The antibody response in infants to respiratory syncytial virus as measured by the standard complement-fixation test was found to be much poorer than the response to parainfluenza 3 virus. It is suggested that this may play a part in the severity of respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants.