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Updated: Jul 31, 2026
High-throughput Detection of Respiratory Pathogens in Animal Specimens by Nanoscale PCR
Published on: November 28, 2016
Community study using a polymerase chain reaction panel to determine the prevalence of common respiratory viruses in
Insights
A sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel found viruses in over 60% of children, regardless of asthma or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction status. These findings highlight frequent viral presence in the upper respiratory tracts of both asthmatic and non-asthmatic children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
- Virology
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- Respiratory viruses are common triggers for respiratory symptoms in children.
- The role of viral infections in clinically stable asthmatic children and those with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) requires further investigation.
- Understanding viral prevalence can inform management strategies for pediatric respiratory conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and apply a sensitive multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel for detecting seven common respiratory viruses.
- To investigate the prevalence of these viruses in nasal swabs from three groups of children: clinically stable asthmatics, children with EIB, and non-asthmatic controls.
- To compare viral detection rates across these pediatric groups.
Main Methods:
- Development of a sensitive multiplex PCR panel for simultaneous detection of seven common respiratory viruses.
- Collection of nasal swab specimens from clinically stable asthmatic children (n=21), children with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (n=16), and non-asthmatic controls (n=33).
- Analysis of specimens using the developed PCR panel to determine viral prevalence.
Main Results:
- The PCR panel successfully detected viruses in 43 out of 70 (61.4%) collected specimens.
- No statistically significant differences in the prevalence of detected respiratory viruses were observed between the three study groups (asthmatic, EIB, and control).
- A high rate of viral carriage was identified in the upper respiratory tract of all participating children.
Conclusions:
- Clinically stable asthmatic children and non-asthmatic children frequently harbor respiratory viruses in their upper respiratory tracts.
- The prevalence of common respiratory viruses does not significantly differ between clinically stable asthmatic children, children with EIB, and healthy controls.
- The sensitive PCR panel is effective for studying viral prevalence in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
We developed a sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel, suitable for the detection of seven common respiratory viruses, to study the prevalence of viruses in nasal swabs obtained from clinically stable asthmatic children (n = 21), non-physician diagnosed asthmatic children with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) (n = 16), and nonasthmatic, non-EIB controls (n = 33). The PCR panel detected viruses in 43/70 (61.4%) specimens but there were no significant differences in prevalence of these viruses between the three groups of children. These results indicate that clinically stable asthmatic and nonasthmatic children frequently harbor viruses in the upper respiratory tract.
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