Rhinovirus and metapneumovirus in patients with severe acute respiratory infection

Introduction. Viruses are the main etiologic agents involved in severe acute respiratory tract infections; a viral diagnosis is not established in a high percentage of cases. Objective. To describe the frequency of rhinovirus and metapneumovirus in pediatric patients with severe acute respiratory infection and negative results for typical viruses by immunofluorescence and molecular biology at a sentinel unit of Mar del Plata. Population and methods. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The presence of rhinovirus and metapneumovirus was assessed by molecular biology in 163 cases negative for respiratory panel by referral surveillance techniques throughout 2015. Results. Rhinovirus was detected in 51.5% of cases, metapneumovirus in 9.8%, and coinfection with rhinovirus and metapneumovirus in 6.1%. Results were negative for both viruses in 32.5%. Conclusions. The selection of samples without a viral diagnosis allowed us to identify rhinovirus and metapneumovirus as causative agents of severe acute respiratory infections in children and assess their impact on child morbidity and mortality and on our health care system.