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Frequency of common viruses in etiology of acute respiratory tract infections

Hayati Beka1, Ayse Kilic, Emin Unuvar

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey.

Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|October 12, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Viral infections are common in pediatric acute respiratory tract infections, with rhinoviruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) being most frequent. Chlamydia pneumoniae was not detected in this study of children with respiratory illness.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Virology
  • Respiratory medicine

Background:

  • Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are a significant cause of pediatric morbidity.
  • Identifying the causative agents of ARTIs is crucial for effective treatment and prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency of various viral and bacterial pathogens in children presenting with ARTIs.
  • To compare the diagnostic performance of different detection methods.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of larynx swab samples from 109 pediatric patients with ARTIs.
  • Utilized real-time PCR, direct fluorescent assay (DFA), cell culture, and multiplex PCR for pathogen detection.
  • Investigated C. pneumoniae, rhinovirus, RSV, influenza virus, metapneumovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, and coronavirus.

Main Results:

  • A viral prevalence of 39.4% was observed in the pediatric cohort.
  • Rhinoviruses were the most common (14.7%), followed by RSV (7.3% for subtype B) and influenza A (6.4%).
  • Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA was not detected in any samples.

Conclusions:

  • Viral agents are prevalent in pediatric ARTIs, with influenza viruses and RSV being common.
  • Metapneumovirus also showed a notable frequency (3.6%).
  • C. pneumoniae does not appear to be a common cause of acute respiratory disease in this pediatric population.
Abstract

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