Genetic diversity of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Latin America. human respiratory syncytial virus

The genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics of respiratory viruses, including human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), have not been well characterized on a global scale. The situation is particularly acute in Latin America where there is a marked lack of complete genome sequence data despite a relatively severe burden of respiratory disease. To address this critical gap, we plan to provide nearly complete genome sequence of ~150 hRSVs from 2007-2012 at a community level from three sites in Peru (Iquitos, Lima, Piura) that vary substantially in climate, human movement patterns, and population density. This data will greatly expand our knowledge of the global genetic diversity of this important human respiratory pathogen, and sampling from all three sites will facilitate the study of the role of climate, human movements, and population density in the evolution and ecology of human respiratory viruses in humans.