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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Molecular Viral Pathogenesis
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1445115

Circulation of New Lineages of RSV-A and RSV-B in Kuwait with High Diversity in the N-and O-linked Glycosylation Sites in the G Protein Between 2020 and 2022

Provisionally accepted
Nada M. Madi Nada M. Madi 1*Mohammad Sadeq Mohammad Sadeq 2Hussain Safar Hussain Safar 3Anfal Al-Adwani Anfal Al-Adwani 3Mariam Al-Turab Mariam Al-Turab 3
  • 1 Health Science Center, Kuwait, Kuwait, Kuwait
  • 2 Jaber Al-Ahmad Armed Forces Hospital, Kuwait, Kuwait
  • 3 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a significant health concern, particularly for infants, young children, and the elderly. This virus is known to evolve continuously due to environmental factors and herd immunity. In light of this, our study was designed with a specific aim: to analyze the genetic variability of the G protein in RSV-A and RSV-B genotypes in Kuwait from 2020 to 2022. By focusing on this specific aspect, we hope to contribute to the broader understanding of RSV and its evolution. Between January 2020 and September 2022, we collected 490 respiratory samples from hospitalized patients with acute respiratory tract infections. These samples were rigorously tested and confirmed positive for RSV using multiplex Real-Time PCR. Subsequently, the samples underwent nucleic acid sequencing using the advanced Nanopore sequencing technology to analyze the full-length G gene and subsequences. Sequence analysis showed that 64 isolates (76%) were RSV-A, and 20 isolates (24%) were RSV-B. The G genes of RSV-A belonged to genotype GA2.3.5, while all the RSV-B genotypes belonged to GB5.0.5a. New lineages and sub-lineages of RSV-A and RSV-B were detected, indicating the circulation of new strains in Kuwait. Many unique and new amino acid changes, including insertions, were found in the G proteins of Kuwaiti isolates, with the highest variability in the second hypervariable region. An increased number of N and O-linked glycosylation sites were also identified in the G protein, which could speculate to alter the antigenicity of RSV. The identified changes in the G protein of RSV-A and RSV-B genotypes might result from immune pressure and could affect the antigenic characteristics of circulating strains in Kuwait. This could potentially lead to new RSV variants that can evade the immune response. This comprehensive study on the G protein of RSV-A and RSV-B could help in the development of more effective treatments and vaccines, providing hope in our battle against RSV.

    Keywords: respiratory syncytial virus, G protein, nanopore sequencing, Kuwait, Glycosylation

    Received: 06 Jun 2024; Accepted: 24 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Madi, Sadeq, Safar, Al-Adwani and Al-Turab. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Nada M. Madi, Health Science Center, Kuwait, Kuwait, Kuwait

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