The impact of childhood RSV infection on children’s and parents’ quality of life: a prospective multicenter study in Spain

Background: Several immunisation candidates against RSV are in late-stage clinical trials. To evaluate the benefts of a potential vaccination programme, both economic and health benefts will be needed. Health benefts are usually measured in Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) loss using standardised questionnaires. However, there are no RSV-specifc questionnaires validated for children under 2 years, in whom most RSV episodes occur. Therefore, HRQoL estimates are taken from literature or inadequate tools. We determined HRQoL loss and direct costs due to an RSV episode in children younger than 2 years and their caregivers during a month of follow up, using a new questionnaire administered online. Methods: An observational prospective multicentre surveillance study was conducted in children aged younger than two years. Children were recruited from 8 primary care centres and 1 hospital in the Valencia region and Cata‑ lonia (Spain). RSV-positive cases were obtained by immunochromatographic test. HRQoL was assessed using a new ad-hoc 38 item-questionnaire developed. Parents of infected children completed 4 questionnaires at four timepoints (day 0, 7, 14 and 30) after diagnosis. Results: 117 children were enrolled in the study and 86 (73.5%) were RSV+. Median (interquartile range; IQR) scores were 0.52 (0.42–0.68), 0.65 (0.49–0.79), 0.82 (0.68–0.97) and 0.94 (0.81–1), for days 0, 7, 14 and 30, respectively. Compared to total recovery (Q30), HRQoL loss was 37.5%, 31.5% and 8.9% on days 0, 7 and 14 since diagnosis of the disease. The total median cost per patient (including treatments) was €598.8 (IQR: 359.63–2425.85). Conclusions: RSV had almost 40% impact on HRQoL during the frst week since onset of symptoms and the median cost per episode and patient was about €600. These results represent a substantial input for health-economic evalua‑ tions of future RSV-related interventions such as vaccination.This study was funded by Conselleria d’Educació, Cultura i Esport of The Valencia Region of Spain.Medicin

MAMI: a birth cohort focused on maternal-infant microbiota during early life

Early microbial colonization is a relevant aspect in human health. Altered microbial colonization patterns have been linked to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Advances in understanding host-microbe interactions highlight the pivotal role of maternal microbiota on infant health programming. This birth cohort is aimed to characterize the maternal microbes transferred to neonates during the first 1000 days of life, as well as to identify the potential host and environmental factors, such as gestational age, mode of delivery, maternal/infant diet, and exposure to antibiotics, which affect early microbial colonization.This study is supported through a five-year grant from European Research Council (ERC) - European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework - with an ERC Starting Grant (ref. 639226). Funding received from this grant supports direct research costs and research assistant salaries. The ERC had no direct role in the design of this study and will not in the collection, analysis or interpreting of data, or manuscript writing