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Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) and human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) are closely related members of the family Pneumoviridae and are important causative agents of lower respiratory tract disease. Despite their host specificity, these infections share a number of epidemiological, clinical, pathogenetic, and immunological features. The aim of this review was to comparatively analyze current data on the prevalence, age-related susceptibility, pathogenesis, and immune response associated with BRSV infection in cattle and HRSV infection in humans. An analytical review of scientific publications, predominantly from 2021–2026 and indexed in the international databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, was conducted. The epidemiological analysis included data from original studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Particular attention was paid to the comparability of estimates obtained using different diagnostic methods. Current evidence indicates the widespread occurrence of both infections. According to a published BRSV meta-analysis, the pooled seroprevalence of BRSV infection in cattle is approximately 64%, whereas antigen and viral RNA detection rates are about 5% and 3%, respectively. Among cattle showing signs of bovine respiratory disease complex, the molecular detection rate of BRSV is approximately 13%. For HRSV, global estimates among children younger than five years indicate 33.0 million episodes of RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection and 3.6 million hospital admissions annually. Comparative analysis showed that, in both species, the highest susceptibility to severe disease is associated with early age. Common features include predominant involvement of the respiratory epithelium, bronchioles, and lung tissue, a pronounced inflammatory response, and the possibility of reinfection due to the absence of durable sterilizing immunity. The findings demonstrate substantial biological parallels between BRSV and HRSV infections. However, direct comparison of prevalence estimates is limited by differences in epidemiological surveillance systems, diagnostic approaches, and the characteristics of the populations studied.
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Акшалова et al. (2026) studied this question.
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