Analysis of respiratory viruses in children with acute respiratory tract infection in Weifang

Abstract

Objective To explore the viral pathogens in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infection in Weifang. Methods Nasopharyngeal secretion (NPS) samples were collected from hospitalized patients with acute respiratory tract infection from July 2016 to June 2017. The NPS samples were detected for 16 respiratory virus types/subtypes including influenza A virus (FluA), influenza B virus (FluB), seasonal influenza A HlNl virus (sH1N1), parainfluenza virus types 1, 2 and 3 (PIV-1, 2, 3), respiratory syncytial virus A (RSVA), respiratory syncytial virus B (RSVB), human rhinovirus (HRV), adenovirus (ADV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), four coronavirus sybtypes (Cov-NL63, 229E, OC43, HKUl) and human bocavirus (BoV) by multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays based on automatic capillary electrophoresis. Results A total of 769 children with respiratory tract infection were enrolled, and the overall positive rate for the 16 common respiratory tract viruses was 33.68% (259/769). The positive rates were as follows: RSV (9.23%), PIV (7.93%), Flu (6.89%), HRV (4.68%), ADV (3.38%), HMPV (1.69%), CoV (0.91%), BoV (0.65%). The positive rate of viral detection showed significant differences among different age groups (χ2=8.724, P=0.033), and the highest positive rate was noted in the age group of 6 months to 1 year. The overall positive rate of viral detection showed a significant difference in terms of seasonal distribution, with a peak prevalence in winter. Conclusions RSV was the main respiratory tract virus among children in Weifang, especially in winter and spring. The distribution of viruses in children with respiratory tract infection was associated with age and season. Key words: Acute respiratory tract infection; Respiratory virus; Children