Etiology of severe acute respiratory infections in Ekaterinburg in different epidemic seasons

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory viral infections are ubiquitous. Part of the cases are severe and require hospital treatment.
 AIM: Studying the etiology of severe acute respiratory infections in patients of Ekaterinburg hospitals in different epidemic seasons (from 2017 to 2020).
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1,132 cases of severe acute respiratory infection were assessed. The structure of laboratory-confirmed cases was determined.
 RESULTS: In the assessed seasons, the proportion of respiratory viruses in the etiological structure of severe acute respiratory infections was 56.0% on average. B/Yamagata lineage of influenza viruses was predominant in the season of 2017/2018 (23.9% from the total number of respiratory viruses), influenza А (H1N1)pdm09 viruses were predominant in the season of 2018/2019 (27.7%), and influenza A and B viruses were identified in 2019/2020 (39.4% and 31.7%, respectively).
 СONCLUSIONS: The obtained results confirm a key role of influenza viruses in the etiology of severe acute respiratory infections among the hospital patients in different epidemic seasons.