Abstract
Human coronaviruses (HCoV) OC43, 229E, NL63, and HKU1 are common respiratory viruses which cause various respiratory diseases, including pneumonia. There is a paucity of evidence on the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of these four HCoV strains worldwide. We collected 11,399 throat swabs from hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infection from July 2009 to June 2016 in Guangzhou, China. These were tested for four strains of HCoV infection using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HCoV-positive patients were then tested for 11 other respiratory pathogens. 4.3% (489/11399) of patients were positive for HCoV, of which 3.0% were positive for OC43 (346/11399), 0.6% for 229E (65/11399), 0.5% for NL63 (60/11399), and 0.3% for HKU1 (38/11399). Patients aged 7–12 months had the highest prevalence of HCoV and OC43 when compared with other age groups (p < 0.001). The peak seasons of infection varied depending on the HCoV strain. Patients infected with a single strain of HCoV infection were less likely to present fever (≥ 38 °C) (p = 0.014) and more likely to present pulmonary rales (p = 0.043) than those co-infected with more than one HCoV strain or other respiratory pathogens. There were also significant differences in the prevalence of certain symptoms, including coughing (p = 0.032), pneumonia (p = 0.026), and abnormal pulmonary rales (p = 0.002) according to the strain of HCoV detected. This retrospective study of the prevalence of four HCoV strains and clinical signs among a large population of pediatric patients in a subtropical region of China provides further insight into the epidemiology and clinical features of HCoV.
Highlights
Respiratory viral infections in humans, which can vary from common colds to severe respiratory disease, represent a significant global health burden and a pressing public healthTo expand the existing evidence base and provide new insights into the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of Human coronaviruses (HCoV) in a subtropical region, we performed a 7-year study of four HCoV strains among hospitalized pediatric patients with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) in Guangzhou, China.Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis (2018) 37:363–369
Percentages sum to over 100% because some patients had more than one diagnosis a following respiratory pathogens: influenza A virus (Flu A), influenza A virus; Flu B, influenza B virus; ADV, adenovirus; HRV, human rhinovirus; HMPV, human metapneumovirus; EV, enterovirus; MP, Mycoplasma pneumoniae; RSV, respiratory syncytial virus; HBoV, human bocavirus; HPIV, human parainfluenza virus; CP, Chlamydia pneumoniae; HCoV, human coronavirus b Detection of more than one strain of HCoV c Not detected
Given the present study’s duration and large sample size, our results represent an important addition to the evidence base on the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of HCoV
Summary
Respiratory viral infections in humans, which can vary from common colds to severe respiratory disease, represent a significant global health burden and a pressing public healthTo expand the existing evidence base and provide new insights into the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of HCoV in a subtropical region, we performed a 7-year study of four HCoV strains among hospitalized pediatric patients with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) in Guangzhou, China.Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis (2018) 37:363–369. Respiratory viral infections in humans, which can vary from common colds to severe respiratory disease, represent a significant global health burden and a pressing public health. To expand the existing evidence base and provide new insights into the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of HCoV in a subtropical region, we performed a 7-year study of four HCoV strains among hospitalized pediatric patients with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) in Guangzhou, China. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis (2018) 37:363–369
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