Comparative analysis of single and multiple respiratory viral infections in pediatric intensive care unit

Abstract

Objective To investigate the differences between single and multiple respiratory viral infections in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients. Methods Oropharyngeal aspiration (OPA) specimens were collected from 406 children hospitalized in PICU of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College with respiratory infection. Multiple PCR and normal PCR were applied to detect 16 types of viruses from OPA, and then the clinical data of positive cases and its relationship with the disease severity were analyzed. Results There were 252 (62.1%) positive cases detected among 406 PICU children. In children with virus positive infection, the most frequently observed pathogen was human rhinovirus (HRV) (105 cases, 41.7%) , followed by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (63 cases, 25.0%) and human adenovirus (HADV) (48 cases, 19.0%) ; single viral infections were identified in 177 cases (70.2%) , and multiple viral infections were identified in 75 cases (29.8%) including 66 cases with co-infection and 9 cases with triple infection. Co-infection of RSV+HRV was the most common model (16 cases) . The patients with single and multiple infections combining basic diseases accounted for 46 and 6 cases respectively, and the difference had statistical significance (χ2=10.409, P 0.05) . Conclusions Respiratory virus is one the most common pathogens causing respiratory infections in PICU. Children with underlying disease are more vulnerable to single respiratory viral illness. There is no significant difference between single and multiple infections for the disease severity. Key words: Respiratory tract infections; Virus infection; Single; Multiple; PICU