The etiology of viral respiratory infections in infants with community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia can be caused by both bacterial and viral pathogens. The differential diagnosis based only on clinical data is not always feasible. The use of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin might give some additional information for treatment decision-making. Aim: To evaluate the structure and rates of viral isolation in community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized infants and changes in CRP and procalcitonin levels. Materials and methods: Seventy five infants at the age of up to 11 months and 29 days, who were hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia confirmed by chest X-ray from March 2015 till February 2016, were included into the study. CRP and procalcitonin levels were measured. Detection of viruses in nasopharyngeal swabs was performed by a real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Nucleic acids of respiratory viruses were isolated in 72% (54/75) of infants. The most common were respiratory syncytial virus (in 70.4%, 38/54) and human rhinovirus (in 16.6%, 9/54). Median of white blood cell count in pneumonia associated with respiratory viruses was 10.95 (9; 14.1)×10 9 /L, CRP level, 1.95 (0.5; 7) mg/L, procalcitonin level, 0.087 (0.067; 0.17) ng/mL. Conclusion: The study showed a high prevalence of respiratory viruses in community-acquired pneumonia in infants. There was no increase in CRP and procalcitonin levels in pneumonia associated with respiratory viruses.