ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Virology
Epidemiological Characteristics and Whole-Genome Analysis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Jining City from February 2023 to December 2024
Provisionally accepted
Boyan Jiao1*
Julong Wu2Yongjian Jia1Yajuan Jiang1Feifei He3Xuezhen Shi4Xiaoyu Wang1Ying Yue1Wei Liu1
Huixin Dou1- 1Jining Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jining, China
- 2Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, China
- 3Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, United States
- 4Baoding No 1 Central Hospital, Baoding, China
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Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major viral pathogen causing respiratory tract infections in children, often leading to bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and even death. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological patterns and whole-genome characteristics of RSV circulating in Jining City between February 2023 and December 2024. Methods: From February 2023 to December 2024, a total of 5,042 throat swab samples were collected from influenza-like illness (ILI) cases at two sentinel hospitals in Jining. RSV was detected using reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). RSV-positive samples were subjected to whole-genome sequencing. Phylogenetic trees were constructed based on the whole genome and G gene sequences, and antigenic variation in viral proteins was analyzed. Results: RSV positivity was 1.98% (100/5042), with higher rates in children under 5 years of age. RSV activity peaked in April–May 2023 and December 2023–January 2024. A total of 29 RSV genomes were sequenced, including 18 RSV-A and 11 RSV-B. RSV-A was dominant during the first peak, and RSV-B during the second. Most RSV-A strains belonged to clade AD.3 and genotype ON1; RSV-B strains clustered into clades B.D.E.1, B.D.4.1.1, and B.D.E.2, all within genotype BA9. Mutations were identified in antigenic epitopes of the G and F proteins, including amino acid substitutions and changes in glycosylation and phosphorylation sites. Conclusions: RSV-A and RSV-B circulated in Jining in an alternating pattern, with evidence of ongoing antigenic evolution. Continued RSV surveillance and accelerated vaccine development are essential.
Keywords: Antigenic Variation, Epidemiology, phylogenetics, respiratory syncytial virus, Whole-genome sequencing
Received: 10 Sep 2025; Accepted: 05 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Jiao, Wu, Jia, Jiang, He, Shi, Wang, Yue, Liu and Dou. 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: Boyan Jiao
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