Diversity of respiratory viruses detected among hospitalized children with acute lower respiratory tract infections at Hospital Serdang, Malaysia

Abstract

Background: The role of respiratory viruses as the major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs) in children is becoming increasingly evident due to the use of sensitive molecular detection methods. The aim of this study was to use conventional and molecular detection methods to assess the epidemiology of respiratory viral infections in children less than five years of age that were hospitalized with ALRTIs. Methods: The cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the occurrence of respiratory viruses including respiratory syncytisl virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), influenza virus A and B (IFV-A and B), parainfluenzavirus 1, 2, 3 and 4 (PIV 1, 2, 3 and 4), human rhinoviruses (HRV), human enterovirus (HEV), human coronaviruses (HCoV) 229E and OC43, human bocavirus (HBoV) and human adenovirus (HAdV) in hospitalized children with ALRTIs, at Hospital Serdang, Malaysia, from June 16 to December 21, 2009. The study was also designed in part to assess the performance of the conventional methods against molecular methods.Results: Viral pathogens were detected in 158 (95.8%) of the patients. Single virus infections were detected in 114 (67.9%) patients; 46 (27.9%) were co-infected with different viruses including double-virus infections in 37 (22.4%) and triple-virus infections in 9 (5.5%) cases. Approximately 70% of samples were found to be positive using conventional methods compared with 96% using molecular methods. A wide range of respiratory viruses were detected in the study. There was a high prevalence of RSV (50.3%) infections, particularly group B viruses. Other etiological agents including HAdV, HMPV, IFV-A, PIV 1-3, HBoV, HCoV-OC43 and HEV were detected in 14. 5, 9.6, 9.1, 4.8, 3.6, 2.4 and 1.8 percent of the samples, respectively. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated the increased sensitivity of molecular detection methods compared with conventional methods for the diagnosis of ARTIs in hospitalized children. This is the first report of HMPV infections in Malaysia.

Molecular Detection and Clinical Characteristics of Bacterial and Viral Main Etiological Agents Causing Respiratory Tract Infections in Tehran, Iran

“…They showed that in uenza A was detected in 2.7% and 4.9% of included patients, respectively. However, our ndings were in contrast with those of Boivin et al [8]. These studies found that the prevalence of in uenza A virus in patients with respiratory tract infections was 21.6%, 31.7%, 15.7%, and 9.1%, respectively.…”

“…In uenza B virus was not detected in our study. Globally, several studies reported that the frequency of in uenza B virus in respiratory tract infections was 0%, 11.9%, 3.2%, and 0.5%, respectively [8,7,5,1]. In the present study, the prevalence of adenovirus infection among military personnel was 1.4%.…”

Mother’s Behavior in Treating of Acute Respiratory Infections on Children Post the Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster at the Public Health Center in Wani, Donggala, Central of Sulawesi, Indonesia

“…There were 4 informants said that they got information about ARI treatment from their husbands or family members, while 2 others did not get any information about ARI treatment from their husbands or the family members. However, some mothers get information from their family members related to ARI treatment by bringing their children with ARI to a dukun (shaman) [5,15].…”

“…The availability of health services supported by adequate facilities can give someone satisfaction in seeking treatment. The community considers health facilities that have incomplete/inadequate facilities cannot support the treatment process [8,15].…”

Performance evaluation of the Panther Fusion® respiratory tract panel

“…During the winter season, viral respiratory tract infections are among the most common infections and can be severe in children, elderly, and immunocompromised patients, often leading to hospitalization. Fast and reliable laboratory testing is essential for patient management [1][2][3]. Many laboratories have developed multiplex qRT-PCR assays to detect respiratory viruses, but more recently also commercial PCR assays have become available.…”