Viral etiologies of acute respiratory tract infections among hospitalized children – A comparison between single and multiple viral infections

Objective: to study the clinical features of metapneumovirus infection in children of different ages in a hospital. Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis of medical records of 142 patients aged 1 month to 14 years inclusive who were hospitalized in the period from January 2012 to April 2019. Metapneumovirus infection was confirmed by hMPV nucleic acid isolation by PCR in nasopharyngeal smears. Results. Metapneumovirus infection is detected among hospitalized children with acute respiratory viral infections in 4,4% of cases. In the age structure, 72,2% are children under 4 years old, and the maximum incidence rate is among children aged 3 years of life. The leading clinical symptoms are cough in 93,0% of cases and rhinitis in 96,5% of cases.In 88,2% of children, the disease proceeds with an increase in temperature 38 C, including in 34,6% 39,5 C and above. Symptoms of gastrointestinal dysfunction in the form of vomiting and diarrhea develop in 26,1% and 22,5% of children, respectively. 78,2% of patients requiring hospitalization suffer hMPV infection with damage to the lower respiratory tract, including in the form of bronchitis in 85,6% of cases and pneumonia in 14,4% of cases. The disease is complicated by the development of bronchial obstructive syndrome in 38,7% and acute respiratory failure in 22,3% of cases. ARF and BOS are significantly more likely to develop in children of the first 3 years of life 71,0% versus 29,0% in children of the older age group (p = 0.038) and 69,8% against 30,2% (p = 0.007), respectively. In a clinical blood test for hMPV infection, leukopenia and leukocytosis are detected only in 3,5% and 12,7% of cases, respectively, as well as an increase in ESR in 23,9% of children. The level of CRP in the 93,0% of children was less than 20 mg/l. Conclusions. Virological confirmation of metapneumovirus infection in hospitalized children with lower respiratory tract infections contributes to the formation of an adequate therapeutic tactic.

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Molecular Diagnosis of Human Metapneumovirus in Hospitalized Children with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections using RT-LAMP: A Population-Based Prospective Study

International Journal of Biomedicine ◽

10.21103/article11(2)_oa4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 146-150

Author(s):

Ahmed Osman Gasim Attar ◽

Khalid Enan ◽

Sara Abdelghani ◽

Lienda Bashier Eltayeb

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Diagnostic Technique ◽

Lamp Assay ◽

Human Metapneumovirus ◽

Hospitalized Children ◽

Age Group ◽

Acute Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Tract Infections

Background: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a major novel cause of acute respiratory infections ranging from wheezing to bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children worldwide. The aim of this study was to detect hMPV in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) by using reverse transcription-loop mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay. Methods and Results: A total of 68 children with ARTIs who were clinically suspected of acquiring hMPV were included in the study in the period between January 2019 and February 2020. Posterior-pharyngeal (throat) swabs were obtained from each patient. hMPV RNA was revealed in 18(26.5%) cases. The age range was from <1 year to 10 years (mean age of 5.25±2.62). Sixteen (23.5%) of the participants were in the age group of <1 year, where the majority of hMPV-positive subjects (n=11) were found (16.2% of the total number of infected children) (P=0.0025). The majority of hMPV-negative subjects (n=15) were found in the age group of 5-10 years (22% of the total number of infected children) (P=0.0025). Cough, fever, and shortness of breath were common symptoms in hMPV-positive children: 15(83.3%), 13(72.2%), and 12(66.7%), respectively. There was a statistically significant correlation between common clinical symptoms and the age group of hMPV-positive children: symptoms were common in the age group of <1 year. Conclusion: Our study represents the first report in Khartoum, Sudan, on the detection of hMPV using RT-LAMP. RT-LAMP is a valuable, quick diagnostic technique for hMPV detection.

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