Picornavirus etiology of acute infections among hospitalized infants

Abstract

Background: Enteroviruses (EV) and parechoviruses (PeV) are ubiquitous viruses that cause a range of illness, including acute illness in children aged < 1 year. Objectives: We describe EV and PeV infections among children from 2 US study sites aged < 1 year and hospitalized with acute infections. For EV-and PeV-negative case-patients, we explored other viral etiologies. Methods: Participants were aged < 1 year, hospitalized during 2016, and had cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collected for routine diagnostic testing. Demographic and clinical data were abstracted from medical charts, and residual specimens were sent to CDC for confirmatory testing and typing. Results: Of 472 eligible case-patients, CSF specimen was available for 319 (67.6%). Among those, 13 (4.1%) were positive for EV and 11 (3.4%) for PeV. Most case-patients (86.8%, n = 277) were aged < 2 months, as were all EV-or PeV-positive case-patients. None of the positive case-patients had underlying conditions, and the chief complaint for 91.7% (n = 22) was fever. Twelve positive case-patients were admitted to intensive care (ICU) and had brief hospital stays (median 2 days). Sequencing revealed a variety of EV types and the predominance of PeV-A3 among the PeV-positive case-patients. Conclusions: A range of EV and PeV types were associated with acute febrile illnesses leading to hospitalization in children aged < 2 months. Approximately half of EV and PeV case-patients were admitted to ICU, but length of hospital stay was brief and illnesses were generally self-limiting. Clinicians should consider EV and PeV infections in infants presenting with febrile illness.

Human parechovirus meningitis in children: state of the art

“…The median hospitalisation was 11 days (range 7–26). At 2 years follow up just one developed epileptic encephalopathy, vision and psychomotor development impairment Epidemiology Naccache SN, 2018 [ 5 ] Retrospective study USA (America) In the period study, out of 251 patients, 0.4% of CSF was positive for HPeV Epidemiology Abedi GR, 2019 [ 6 ] Retrospective multicentre study USA (America) In the period study, 3.4% of children under the age of 1 year had CSF positive for HPeV Epidemiology Lee BR, 2020 [ 7 ] Retrospective cohort study USA (America) In the period study, out of 1926 specimens of CSF in children less than 6 months of age, 8.9% were positive for HPeV Epidemiology Clinical Presentation Laboratory Tomatis Souverbielle C, 2021 [ 8 ] Retrospective study USA (America) In the period study, out of 1475 infants younger than 60 days, 130 were HPeV positive. Infections mainly occurred in summer.…”