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Analysis of epidemic trend of respiratory pathogens in children after long-term pathogen isolation
Ping Chen1, Yahong Li2, Shiwei Li2,3
1Geriatrics Department, Tianshui First People's Hospital, Tianshui, Gansu, China.
Insights
Children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Epidemiology of respiratory pathogens
- Public health impact of pandemics
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic containment measures led to prolonged home confinement for children in China.
- Reduced exposure to respiratory pathogens during confinement raised questions about children's post-isolation immunity.
- Understanding children's susceptibility to respiratory infections post-pandemic is crucial for public health planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the changes in children's susceptibility to respiratory pathogens after COVID-19 containment measures.
- To analyze the prevalence patterns of various respiratory pathogens in children post-isolation.
- To provide empirical data for public health strategies concerning pediatric respiratory infections.
Main Methods:
- Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for pathogen detection.
- Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS Statistics 23.
- Data from post-epidemic periods were compared with pre-epidemic data.
Main Results:
- Environmental factors like temperature and humidity interactively affected pathogen prevalence.
- Most respiratory pathogens, notably respiratory syncytial virus, showed increased infection rates in children post-COVID-19.
- Age, gender, and pathogen-specific co-infection patterns influenced infection dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Prolonged isolation during COVID-19 altered respiratory pathogen prevalence patterns in children.
- Increased susceptibility to certain pathogens like respiratory syncytial virus was observed post-containment.
- Findings highlight the need for updated public health interventions for pediatric respiratory health.
Background:
China implemented strict prevention and control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to prolonged home confinement of children and significantly reduced exposure to respiratory pathogens. The ability of children under these conditions to resist respiratory pathogens post-lifting of containment measures remained unknown. The children's ability to face respiratory pathogens post-isolation was assessed through collecting respiratory pathogens detection data, statistical analysis and comparing with pre-epidemic data. In this way, we addressed data gaps in related fields and provided empirical support for research and public health sectors.
Methods:
The pathogen detection method was real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Data analysis software: SPSS Statistics 23.
Results:
Four environmental factors-temperature, humidity, wind speed and sunshine time-exerted interactive effects ton respiratory pathogens prevalence. Influenza A and B viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and adenovirus exhibited seasonally prevalent patterns in winter, while respiratory syncytial virus showed lower prevalence in summer, and rhinovirus had no significant seasonal variation. The infection rate of respiratory syncytial virus and the number of expected infections decreased with the increase of age, whereas adenovirus, influenza virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and bacterial pathogens showed age-related increases in both metrics. Gender-related differences were observed in higher infection rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in men compared to women. Co-infection analysis revealed that respiratory syncytial virus exhibited the highest co-infection diversity, followed by influenza B virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed inhibition of co-infection with Klebsiella pneumoniae. Streptococcus pneumoniae had been shown to inhibit co-infection with Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The lower respiratory tract infection rate of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and bacterial pathogens exceeded the overall infection rate. Infection rates of influenza B virus and adenovirus were lower than the overall rate, while those of influenza A and rhinovirus paralleled the overall rate. Analysis of statistical data from China and Gansu Provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that most respiratory pathogens showed an increase in the infection rates post-COVID-19, particularly respiratory syncytial virus, indicating altered prevalence patterns in children due to prolonged exposure to isolated pathogens.
