Abstract
BackgroundAcute respiratory infections (ARIs) represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children, remaining a major public health concern, especially affecting children under 5 years old from low-income countries. Unfortunately, information regarding their epidemiology is still limited in Peru.MethodsA secondary data analysis was performed from a previous cross-sectional study conducted in children with a probable diagnosis of Pertussis from January 2010 to July 2012. All samples were analyzed via Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the following etiologies: Influenza-A, Influenza-B, RSV-A, RSV-B, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza 1 virus, Parainfluenza 2 virus, Parainfluenza 3 virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae.ResultsA total of 288 patients were included. The most common pathogen isolated was Adenovirus (49%), followed by Bordetella pertussis (41%) from our previous investigation, the most prevelant microorganisms were Mycoplasma pneumonia (26%) and Influenza-B (19.8%). Coinfections were reported in 58% of samples and the most common association was found between B. pertussis and Adenovirus (12.2%).ConclusionsThere was a high prevalence of Adenovirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and other etiologies in patients with a probable diagnosis of pertussis. Despite the presence of persistent cough lasting at least two weeks and other clinical characteristics highly suspicious of pertussis, secondary etiologies should be considered in children under 5 years-old in order to give a proper treatment.
Highlights
Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children, remaining a major public health concern, especially affecting children under 5 years old from low-income countries
In resource-limited countries, atypical bacteria such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Bordetella pertussis can play an important role in ARIs and can be detected in more than 40% of patients [2, 11,12,13,14]
In a previous study we conducted on children under 1-year-old with a probable diagnosis of Pertussis from 5 Peruvian hospitals, we reported a prevalence of 39.54% pertussis cases [14]
Summary
Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children, remaining a major public health concern, especially affecting children under 5 years old from low-income countries. Information regarding their epidemiology is still limited in Peru. According to World Health Organization (WHO), acute respiratory infections are responsible for 1.9 million annual deaths in children, mainly affecting patients under 5 years old, with a higher incidence in those from low-income countries [1, 4]. S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae type b are the most commonly isolated bacteria in both throat and nasopharyngeal specimens from patients with ARIs [9, 10]. In resource-limited countries, atypical bacteria such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Bordetella pertussis can play an important role in ARIs and can be detected in more than 40% of patients [2, 11,12,13,14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
