Publications

My PhD project consists of 2 parts: Epidemiology of hRSV on one hand and Virome analysis of the respiratory tract on the other hand. In the first part "Epidemiology of hRSV" the circulation of hRSV in Belgium will be studied. Every child experiences during the first 5 years at least one hRSV infection. In some cases this leads to serious complications which result in hospital submission. In the context of prevention it is important to gain more ...

Since the first human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) genotype classification in 1998, inconsistent conclusions have been drawn regarding the criteria that define HRSV genotypes and their nomenclature, challenging data comparisons between research groups. In this study, we aim to unify the field of HRSV genotype classification by reviewing the different methods that have been used in the past to define HRSV genotypes and by proposing a new ...

BACKGROUND: Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) are a major health problem, especially in young children and the elderly. OBJECTIVES: Insights into the seasonality of respiratory viruses can help us understand when the burden on society is highest and which age groups are most vulnerable. STUDY DESIGN: We monitored six respiratory viruses during five consecutive seasons (2011-2016) in Belgium. Patient specimens (n=22876), tested for one or more ...

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the prime causes of acute viral hepatitis, whereas chronic hepatitis E is increasingly recognized as an important problem in the transplant setting. Nevertheless, the fundamental understanding of the biology of HEV replication is limited and there are few therapeutic options. The development of such therapies is partially hindered by the lack of a robust and convenient animal model. We propose the infection of ...