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Detection of viral acute lower respiratory tract infection in hospitalized infants using real-time PCR
Bassant Meligy1, Amal Sayed2, Dalia Kadry Ismail2
1Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
Insights
Rhinovirus was the most common virus causing acute lower respiratory tract infections in children under three years old. Coinfection was frequent but did not significantly impact disease severity.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Virology
- Respiratory medicine
Background:
- Acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRIs) are a major cause of childhood morbidity in developing nations.
- Understanding viral etiologies is crucial for effective management and prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the common viruses responsible for viral pneumonia in children under three years old.
- To investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of these infections.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 51 children under three years old admitted with viral pneumonia.
- Nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected for Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based viral detection.
Main Results:
- Rhinovirus was the most prevalent virus (72.2%), followed by parainfluenza virus (27.3%) and respiratory syncytial virus (20.5%).
- Coinfection was detected in 63.7% of cases. Mortality rate was 23.5%.
- No significant association was found between virus type, coinfection, and disease severity.
Conclusions:
- Rhinovirus is the leading viral cause of ALRI in young children requiring hospitalization.
- While coinfections are common, they do not appear to correlate with increased disease severity in this cohort.
Introduction:
Acute lower respiratory tract infection in children causes significant morbidity in the developing countries. Documentation of virus infection using PCR and clinical characteristics of patients affected with viral pneumonia are reviewed in this study.
Methods:
51 children less than three years admitted to the Pediatric Hospital, Cairo University with viral pneumonia were included. All patients had undergone nasopharyngeal aspirate for PCR viral detection.
Results:
A total of 51 cases were enrolled in the study, of which 7 cases were negative while 44 children were positive for viruses. The most common respiratory virus was Rhinovirus in 32 patients (72.2%), then parainfluenza virus (PIV) in 12 (27.3%), of which subtypes PIV1 were 2 (4.5%), PIV3 were 5 (11.4%) and PIV4 were 5 (11.4%) cases. The third common viruses were respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 9 (20.5%) cases of which 3 (6.8%) were RSVA and 6 (13.6%) were RSVB and adenovirus in 9 cases (20.5%). Boca virus was found in 8 (18.2%) patients, corona virus 2 (4.5%) patients, H1N1 2 (4.5%) patients, enterovirus 2 patients (4.5%) and human metapneumovirus in one case (2.3%). Influenza B and PIV2 were not detected. Coinfection was found in 28 (63.7%). Mortality occurred in 12 (23.5%). There was no significant relation between virus type or coinfection with disease severity.
Conclusions:
RV was the most commonly detected virus in children under 3 years admitted with acute lower respiratory tract infections. Coinfection was present in the majority of our patients; however it was not related significantly to parameters of disease severity.
