Two years of experience in hospital surveillance for the severe influenza like illnesses in St. Petersburg: etiology, clinical characterization of diseases, antigenic and genetic properties of isolated influenza viruses

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the etiology of the diseases occurring during two consecutive influenza epidemic seasons in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. The analysis is based on the results of the PCR diagnostics of the clinical samples collected from patients hospitalized in three St. Petersburg hospitals with influenza like illnesses (ILI). It was shown that the influenza virus A(H1N1)pdm09 was the dominant causative agent during the 2012-2013 epidemic season while, in the 2013-2014 season, A(H3N2) virus was predominant among adults and children. The influenza B virus activity was high in the 2012-2013 season and low in the 2013-2014 season. During both seasons, the main causative agent for the hospitalization of young children was respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), followed by rhinovirus and influenza virus. The rate of involvement of parainfluenza, adenovirus, metapneumovirus and coronavirus was low and was negligible for bocavirus. Children 0-2 and 3-6 years old formed the group of patients that was affected by acute respiratory infection agents the most. Children younger than 3 months old were the major group of the intensive care unit (ICUs) patients and only 27.5% of them were adults. RSV and rhinovirus were the leading cause of ILI among the children admitted to ICU. Among the adult patients admitted to the ICU, only influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and B viruses were detected during both influenza seasons.According to the results of the antigenic and genetic analysis, most influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and A(H3N2) viruses circulating in St. Petersburg matched the vaccine strains recommended by the WHO for vaccine composition in the

Summary of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Detected and Characterized in Russia During 2017–2018 Season

“…При этом показана важная роль респираторно-синцитиального вируса непосредственно в предэпидемический период и в период эпидемии, тогда как риновирусы активно циркулировали на протяжении всего сезона. Более детальный анализ в рамках госпитального надзора показал важнейшую роль РСВ и риновирусов в развитии ТОРИ у детей младшего возраста [19], которая подтверждается многочисленными исследованиями [4,11,17]. Удельная значимость других возбудителей (метапневмовирусы, аденовирусы, парагриппозные, корона-и бокавирусы) в развитии эпидемического процесса была намного ниже, но в совокупности все они вызывали более 30% острых респираторных инфекций.…”

“…Организационная структура традиционного надзора (ТН) и сигнального надзора (СН) за гриппом и другими респираторными инфекциями в России была описана ранее [1,5,19]. ТН осуществлялся силами двух Национальных центров по гриппу ВОЗ (НЦГ) в Санкт-Петербурге и Москве в сотрудничестве с 60 региональными базовыми лабораториями (РБЛ) в системе Роспотребнадзора, СН за ТОРИ и ГПЗ/ОРИ -в 10 РБЛ расположенных в разных федеральных округах (ФО) России.…”