Proposal for Human RSV nomenclature below the species level

Background:

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading viral cause of serious pediatric respiratory disease, and lifelong reinfections are common. Its 2 major subgroups, A and B, exhibit some antigenic variability, enabling RSV to circulate annually. Globally, research has increased the number of RSV genomic sequences available. To ensure accurate molecular epidemiology analyses, we propose a uniform nomenclature for RSV-positive samples and isolates, and RSV sequences, namely: RSV/subgroup identifier/geographic identifier/unique sequence identifier/year of sampling. We also propose a template for submitting associated metadata. Universal nomenclature would help researchers retrieve and analyze sequence data to better understand the evolution of this virus.