Molecular epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus in The Gambia

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in The Gambia occurs seasonally in association with the rainy season. This study examined the genetic vari ability of RSV isolates from four consecutive epidemics from 1993-6, Each e pidemic was made up of a number of variants which were replaced in subseque nt epidemics. Analysis of attachment (G) protein gene sequences showed that isolates were closely related to those observed in the rest of the world. However, many isolates from 1993 and 1994 were unlike other isolates observ ed in the developed world during this period and were more similar to isola tes from 1984 in Europe. In addition, the most commonly observed genotype i n the UK in the 1990s was not detected in The Gambia during this period.