Seroprevalence of RSV Antibodies in a Contemporary Cohort of Adults in Southeast Minnesota

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection may cause serious illness and lead to death in older adults (≥ 65 years), causing over 60,000 hospitalizations and 6,000 deaths each year in the United States. Seroprevalence rates vary by age and geographic location but are typically high due to the repeated nature of RSV infections. This study investigated the seroprevalence of antibodies against human RSV in a convenience sample of adults from Olmsted County, Minnesota. Of the 480 subjects studied, 83.8% tested RSV IgG positive, 8.1% tested RSV IgG negative, and 8.1% had equivocal results. Additional cohorts from recently vaccinated individuals or those with a recent diagnosis of RSV infection were tested for comparison, yielding antibody positivity rates of 95.8% and 97.5% respectively.