Upper Respiratory Tract Infections In Adults Research Articles

Etiology of febrile respiratory infections in the general adult population in Singapore, 2007–2013

Pathogens that cause upper respiratory infections are numerous and specific preventive and therapeutic strategies are scarce. In order to ascertain the etiological agents resulting in upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in adults in Singapore, nasal swab samples were collected from 2057 patients presenting with fever at primary healthcare clinics in Singapore from December 2007 to February 2013. Samples were tested using the Luminex NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel that includes 22 respiratory pathogen targets. Patient-reported symptoms and vital signs were recorded and full blood and differential counts taken. Pathogens were detected in the following order of frequency: influenza viruses, rhino-/enteroviruses, coronaviruses, parainfluenza viruses, pneumoviruses, adenovirus, bocavirus and C. pneumoniae. Fifteen virus species were detected as part of coinfections, in which rhinoviruses were the most commonly observed pathogen. Our results suggest that influenza viruses are the main etiological agents, but multiple other respiratory viruses contribute to the total burden of URTI in adults in Singapore.

Effect of fermented milk on upper respiratory tract infection in adults who lived in the haze area of Northern China: a randomized clinical trial

Context Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is the most common illness in humans. Fermented milk containing probiotics can mitigate URTI symptoms. Objective This study tests the effect of fermented milk (Qingrun), a yogurt supplemented with Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bl-04, on adults with URTIs who live in a haze-covered area in a randomized clinical trial. Materials and methods A total of 136 subjects were enrolled in the study at the baseline and randomized to consume either control yogurt or Qingrun yogurt (250 g) once daily for 12 weeks. The duration and severity of URTI were evaluated by the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey–24. Blood and faecal samples were collected at the baseline and post-intervention, to determine the changes of immune biomarkers. Results Qingrun yogurt significantly reduced the incidence of the common cold (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17–0.81; p = 0.013) and influenza-like illness (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.11–0.97; p = 0.045). Compared to the control yogurt, Qingrun yogurt significantly reduced the duration (1.23 ± 2.73 vs. 4.78 ± 5.09 d) and severity score (3.58 ± 7.12 vs. 11.37 ± 11.73) of URTI. In addition, the post-intervention levels of interferon-γ (139.49 ± 59.49 vs. 113.45 ± 65.12 pg/mL) and secretory immunoglobulin A (529.19 ± 91.70 vs. 388.88 ± 53.83 mg/dL) significantly increased in the Qingrun group, compared with those in the control group. Conclusions Qingrun yogurt showed a protective effect against URTI in adults, suggesting that the use of yogurt with probiotics could be a promising dietary supplement for mitigating URTI.

Probiotics for Preventing Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) are common and burdensome infectious illness. Several trials have reported that probiotics can prevent URTIs in adults. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of probiotics in the prevention of URTIs in adults. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for reports published from database inception to May 14, 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing probiotics with placebo for the prevention of URTIs in adults were included. Results Six RCTs with 1551 participants were included. Compared with the placebo group, the probiotics intervention group significantly reduced the incidence of URTI episodes (RR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.68 to 0.87; P < 0.0001; I2 = 26%), the episode rate of URTIs (rate ratio: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.60 to 0.86; P = 0.0002; I2 = 99%), and the mean duration of one episode of URTI (MD: −2.66; 95% CI: −4.79 to −0.54; P = 0.01; I2 = 80%). The adverse events of probiotics were mainly mild gastrointestinal symptoms. There were no significant differences in occurrence rate of adverse effects between probiotics intervention and placebo group (rate ratio: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.80 to 1.26; P = 0.96; I2 = 99%). Conclusion Low-quality evidence provides support that probiotics have potential efficacy for preventing URTI episodes in adults. More trials are required to confirm this conclusion.

Fine Particulate Air Pollution and Hospital Utilization for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Beijing, China.

Few studies have examined the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in urban cities. The principal aim of the present study was to evaluate the short-term impact of PM2.5 on the incidence of URTI in Beijing, China. Data on hospital visits due to URTI from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2012 were obtained from the Beijing Medical Claim Data for Employees, a health insurance database. Daily PM2.5 concentration was acquired from the embassy of the United States of America (US) located in Beijing. A generalized additive Poisson model was used to analyze the effect of PM2.5 on hospital visits for URTI. We found that a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration was associated with 0.84% (95% CI, 0.05–1.64%) increase in hospital admissions for URTI at lag 0–3 days, but there were no significant associations with emergency room or outpatient visits. Compared to females, males were more likely to be hospitalized for URTI when the PM2.5 level increased, but other findings did not differ by age group or gender. The study suggests that short-term variations in PM2.5 concentrations have small but detectable impacts on hospital utilization due to URTI in adults.

Vitamin D3 Supplementation and Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in a Randomized, Controlled Trial

Randomized controlled trials testing the association between vitamin D status and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) have given mixed results. During a multicenter, randomized controlled trial of colorectal adenoma chemoprevention, we tested whether 1000 IU/day vitamin D(3) supplementation reduced winter episodes and duration of URTI and its composite syndromes, influenza-like illness (ILI; fever and ≥2 of sore throat, cough, muscle ache, or headache) and colds (no fever, and ≥2 of runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, cough, swollen or tender neck glands). The 2259 trial participants were aged 45-75, in good health, had a history of colorectal adenoma, and had a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level ≥12 ng/mL. They were randomized to vitamin D(3) (1000 IU/day), calcium (1200 mg/day), both, or placebo. Of these, 759 participants completed daily symptom diaries. Secondary data included semiannual surveys of all participants. Among those who completed symptom diaries, supplementation did not significantly reduce winter episodes of URTI (rate ratio [RR], 0.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], .79-1.09) including colds (RR, 0.93; 95% CI, .78-1.10) or ILI (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, .62-1.46), nor did it reduce winter days of illness (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, .90-1.43). There was no significant benefit according to adherence, influenza vaccination, body mass index, or baseline vitamin D status. Semiannual surveys of all participants (N = 2228) identified no benefit of supplementation on ILI (odds ratio [OR], 1.14; 95% CI, .84-1.54) or colds (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, .87-1.23). Supplementation with 1000 IU/day vitamin D(3) did not significantly reduce the incidence or duration of URTI in adults with a baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level ≥12 ng/mL.

Pasteurella Infections — Not Only from Animal Bites

Most physicians associate serious Pasteurella multocida infections with animal bites. Few realize, however, that nursing sick pets may also transmit disease. Researchers described three cases of serious upper respiratory-tract infections in adults who had cared …