scholarly journals A Silver Lining? Fewer non-SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Viruses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary M Most ◽  
Michael Holcomb ◽  
Andrew R Jamieson ◽  
Trish M Perl
Keyword(s):  
Count Data ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Case Count ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Public Health Initiatives ◽  
Silver Lining ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions

Abstract Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) have “flattened the curve” of the COVID-19 pandemic, however the effect of these interventions on other respiratory viruses is unknown. We used aggregate level case count data for eight respiratory viruses and compared the institutional and statewide case counts before and during the period that NPIs were active. We observed a 61% (IRR 0.39, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.41, P < 0.0001) decrease in non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory viral infections when NPIs were implemented. This finding, if further verified, should guide future public health initiatives to mitigate viral epidemics.

scholarly journals Differentiating Impacts of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on Non-Coronavirus-Disease-2019 Respiratory Viral Infections: Hospital-Based Retrospective Observational Study in Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Po-Liang Chen ◽  
Isaac Yen-Hao Chu ◽  
Mei-Lin Yeh ◽  
Yin-Yin Chen ◽  
Chia-Lin Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Retrospective Observational Study ◽  
Enveloped Viruses ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions

Background Physical distancing and facemask use are worldwide recognized as effective non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since January 2020, Taiwan has introduced both NPIs but their effectiveness on non-COVID-19 respiratory viruses (NCRVs) remain underexplored. Methods This retrospective observational study examined electronic records at a tertiary hospital in northern Taiwan from pre-COVID (January–December 2019) to post-COVID period (January–May 2020). Patients with respiratory syndromes were tested for both enveloped (e.g. influenza virus and seasonal coronavirus) and non-enveloped RVs (e.g. enterovirus and rhinovirus) using multiplex reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. Monthly positivity rates of NCRVs among adult and pediatric patients were analyzed with comparison between pre- and post-COVID periods. Results A total of 9693 patients underwent 12127 multiplex RT-PCR tests. The average positivity rate of NCRVs reduced by 11.2% (25.6% to 14.4%) after nationwide PHIs. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the most commonly identified enveloped and non-enveloped viruses were influenza virus and enterovirus/rhinovirus, respectively. Observed reduction in NCRV incidence was predominantly contributed by enveloped NCRVs including influenza viruses. We did not observe epidemiological impacts of NPIs on non-enveloped viruses but an increasing trend in enterovirus/rhinovirus test positivity rate among pediatric patients. Our data were validated using Taiwan’s national notification database. Conclusions Our frontline investigation suggests that the current NPIs in Taiwan might not effectively control the transmission of non-enveloped respiratory viruses, despite their protective effects against influenza and seasonal coronavirus. Hydrogen peroxide or chloride-based disinfectants should be integrated into national preventative strategies against respiratory viral infections in the post-COVID-19 era.

scholarly journals Influenza and other respiratory viral infections associated with absence from school among schoolchildren in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA: a cohort study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. Read ◽  
Shanta Zimmer ◽  
Charles Vukotich ◽  
Mary Lou Schweizer ◽  
David Galloway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Influenza Infection ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Day Programs ◽  
K 12

Abstract Background Information on the etiology and age-specific burden of respiratory viral infections among school-aged children remains limited. Though school aged children are often recognized as driving the transmission of influenza as well as other respiratory viruses, little detailed information is available on the distribution of respiratory infections among children of different ages within this group. Factors other than age including gender and time spent in school may also be important in determining risk of infection but have been little studied in this age group. Methods We conducted a cohort study to determine the etiology of influenza like illness (ILI) among 2519 K–12 students during the 2012–13 influenza season. We obtained nasal swabs from students with ILI-related absences. Generalized linear mixed-effect regressions determined associations of outcomes, including ILI and laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus infection, with school grade and other covariates. Results Overall, 459 swabs were obtained from 552 ILI–related absences. Respiratory viruses were found in 292 (63.6%) samples. Influenza was found in 189 (41.2%) samples. With influenza B found in 134 (70.9%). Rates of influenza B were significantly higher in grades 1 (10.1, 95% CI 6.8–14.4%), 2 (9.7, 6.6–13.6%), 3 (9.3, 6.3–13.2%), and 4 (9.9, 6.8–13.8%) than in kindergarteners (3.2, 1.5–6.0%). After accounting for grade, sex and self-reported vaccination status, influenza B infection risk was lower among kindergarteners in half-day programs compared to kindergarteners in full-day programs (OR = 0.19; 95% CI 0.08–0.45). Conclusions ILI and influenza infection is concentrated in younger schoolchildren. Reduced infection by respiratory viruses is associated with a truncated school day for kindergarteners but this finding requires further investigation in other grades and populations.

scholarly journals Respiratory viral infections in the elderly

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 175346662199505
Author(s):  
Alastair Watson ◽  
Tom M. A. Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Morbidity And Mortality ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Prolonged Hospital

With the global over 60-year-old population predicted to more than double over the next 35 years, caring for this aging population has become a major global healthcare challenge. In 2016 there were over 1 million deaths in >70 year olds due to lower respiratory tract infections; 13–31% of these have been reported to be caused by viruses. Since then, there has been a global COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused over 2.3 million deaths so far; increased age has been shown to be the biggest risk factor for morbidity and mortality. Thus, the burden of respiratory viral infections in the elderly is becoming an increasing unmet clinical need. Particular challenges are faced due to the interplay of a variety of factors including complex multimorbidities, decreased physiological reserve and an aging immune system. Moreover, their atypical presentation of symptoms may lead to delayed necessary care, prescription of additional drugs and prolonged hospital stay. This leads to morbidity and mortality and further nosocomial spread. Clinicians currently have limited access to sensitive detection methods. Furthermore, a lack of effective antiviral treatments means there is little incentive to diagnose and record specific non-COVID-19 viral infections. To meet this unmet clinical need, it is first essential to fully understand the burden of respiratory viruses in the elderly. Doing this through prospective screening research studies for all respiratory viruses will help guide preventative policies and clinical trials for emerging therapeutics. The implementation of multiplex point-of-care diagnostics as a mainstay in all healthcare settings will be essential to understand the burden of respiratory viruses, diagnose patients and monitor outbreaks. The further development of novel targeted vaccinations as well as anti-viral therapeutics and new ways to augment the aging immune system is now also essential. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

scholarly journals Clinical-epidemiological peculiarities of acute respiratory infections in children from 3 to 12 years and evaluation of effectiveness of antivirus therapy

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 38-45
Author(s):  
S. A. Khmilevskaya ◽  
N. I. Zryachkin ◽  
V. E. Mikhailova
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infections ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Acute Respiratory Infections ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Acute Respiratory Viral Infection ◽  
Tract Infections

The aim: to study the etiological structure of acute respiratory infections in children aged 3 to 12 hospitalized in the early stages of the disease in the department of respiratory infections of the children’s hospital, and to reveal the features of their clinical course and the timing of DNA / RNA elimination of respiratory viruses from nasal secretions, depending on the method of therapy. Materials and methods: 100 children with acute respiratory infections aged 3 to 12 years were monitored. The nasal secrets on the DNA / RNA of respiratory viruses were studied by PCR. Depending on the method of therapy, patients were divided into 2 groups: patients of group 1 (comparison) received basic treatment (without the use of antiviral drugs), in patients of the 2nd group (main), along with basal therapy, the drug was used umifenovir in a 5-day course at the ageappropriate dosage. Results: In the etiologic structure of ARVI in children from 3 to 12 years, the leading place was taken by rhinovirus, influenza and metapneumovirus infections (isolated – 18%, 19% and 20% respectively, in the form of a mixed infection – 11%). The main syndromic diagnosis at the height of the disease was rhinopharyngitis. Complications were observed in 42% of cases, as often as possible with flu – 53% of cases. Features of metapneumovirus infection in children of this age group were: predominance of non-severe forms of the disease in the form of acute fever with symptoms of rhinopharyngitis, as well as a small incidence of lower respiratory tract infections. The use of the drug umiphenovir in children with acute respiratory viral infections of various etiologies contributed to significantly faster elimination of viral DNA / RNA from the nasal secretion, which was accompanied by a ecrease in the duration of the main clinical and hematological symptoms of the disease, a decrease in the incidence of complications, and reduced the duration of stay in hospital. Conclusion: application of modern molecular genetic methods of diagnostics made it possible to identify the leading role of influenza, metapneumovirus and rhinovirus infections in the etiology of acute respiratory viral infection in patients aged 3 to 12 years, and to determine a number of clinical features characteristic of this age group. The results of the study testify to the effectiveness of umiphenovir in the treatment of children with acute respiratory viral infections of various etiologies and allow us to recommend this drug as an effective and safe etiotropic agent.

scholarly journals Primary and Repeated Respiratory Viral Infections Among Infants in Rural Nepal

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Boonyaratanakornkit ◽  
Janet A Englund ◽  
Amalia S Magaret ◽  
Yunqi Bu ◽  
James M Tielsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Infection ◽  
Respiratory Virus ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Repeated Infection ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Repeated Infections ◽  
Rural Nepal

Abstract Background Respiratory viruses cause significant morbidity and death in infants; 99% of such deaths occur in resource-limited settings. Risk factors for initial and repeated respiratory viral infections in young infants in resource-limited settings have not been well described. Methods From 2011 to 2014, a birth cohort of infants in rural Nepal was enrolled and followed with weekly household-based active surveillance for respiratory symptoms until 6 months of age. Respiratory illness was defined as having any of the following: fever, cough, wheeze, difficulty breathing, and/or a draining ear. We tested nasal swabs of infants with respiratory illness for multiple respiratory viruses by using a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. The risk of primary and repeated infections with the same virus was evaluated using Poisson regression. Results Of 3528 infants, 1726 (49%) had a primary infection, and 419 (12%) had a repeated infection. The incidences of respiratory viral infection in infants were 1816 per 1000 person-years for primary infections and 1204 per 1000 person-years for repeated infection with the same virus. Exposure to other children and male sex were each associated with an increased risk for primary infection (risk ratios, 1.13 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06–1.20] and 1.14 [95% CI, 1.02–1.27], respectively), whereas higher maternal education was associated with a decreased risk for both primary and repeated infections (risk ratio, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.95–0.98]). The incidence of subsequent infection did not change when previous infection with the same or another respiratory virus occurred. Illness duration and severity were not significantly different in the infants between the first and second episodes for any respiratory virus tested. Conclusions In infants in rural Nepal, repeated respiratory virus infections were frequent, and we found no decrease in illness severity with repeated infections and no evidence of replacement with another virus. Vaccine strategies and public health interventions that provide durable protection in the first 6 months of life could decrease the burden of repeated infections by multiple respiratory viruses, particularly in low-resource countries.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Restrictions Are Associated With a Significant Decrease of All Common Respiratory Viral Illnesses in Children

2021 ◽  
pp. 000992282110448
Author(s):  
Melanie M. Randall ◽  
Fairuz Despujos Harfouche ◽  
Jennifer Raae-Nielsen ◽  
Brian G. Chen ◽  
Miryah Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infections ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Large Drop ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Panel Testing ◽  
Panel Test ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Similar Decrease

To combat the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), significant measures were enacted including school and business closures, social distancing, and facial coverings. We hypothesized that this would have an impact on all respiratory infections in children. Using nasopharyngeal panel test results of children in the emergency department, we evaluated cross-sectional data from February to May in both 2019 and 2020. Respiratory panel testing included 11 common respiratory viruses and bacteria. After the restrictions were enacted, we observed a large drop in the number and percentage positive of all common respiratory viral infections in 2020 compared with the same time in 2019. When analyzing data from children <2 years old, a similar decrease was seen. Restrictions enacted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 were associated with a significant decrease in respiratory viral infections in children of all ages. This association could guide future public health recommendations and guidelines.

scholarly journals Burden of respiratory viral infections among inmates of a Ghanaian prison

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augustina Sylverken ◽  
Philip El-Duah ◽  
Michael Owusu ◽  
Richmond Yeboah ◽  
Alexander Kwarteng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Respiratory Virus ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Prison Population ◽  
Nasal Congestion ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Regional Capital

Abstract Respiratory viral infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Information on circulating respiratory viruses among prisoners is lacking, although this is of public health importance and knowledge would assist in putting in place preventive measures to forestall disease outbreaks. The aim of this study therefore was to get the footprint of such diseases that have epidemic potential to be described and quantified for control. Prisoners on remand numbering 203 in a prison in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, were interviewed using prevalidated questionnaire, nasopharyngeal samples taken and screened by real-time PCR for common respiratory viruses in February, 2018. Of the total number of 203 participants enrolled, majority were males (n = 198, 97.54%). The modal age unsurprisingly was in the active working class of 18 to 35 years (n = 155, 76.36%) with 48 (23.65%) of participants older than 35 years. Inmates reported nasal congestion (n = 83, 40.89%), cough with or without pharyngitis (n =108, 53.20%) and fever (n = 74, 39.48%). Viruses detected in throat samples were Influenza A (n = 1, 0.49%) and Rhinovirus (n = 8, 3.94%). There was no statistically significant association between respiratory virus positivity and age (p = 0.118), gender (p > 0.900), duration of incarceration (p = 0.239) and reported symptoms (p = 0.724). The prison population may have a lower prevalence of respiratory viruses circulating in them. This may be dominated by those with high antigenic diversity.

Respiratory Viral Detection in the Paranasal Sinuses of Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas R. Rowan ◽  
Eric W. Wang ◽  
Alyssa Kanaan ◽  
Nivedita Sahu ◽  
John V. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Paranasal Sinuses ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Viral Detection ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Clinical Measures ◽  
Sinonasal Disease

Background Pulmonary colonization with antibiotic-resistant organisms in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is often preceded by upper-airway infections. Although there is a well-described relationship between pulmonary respiratory viral infections and overall disease progression of CF, the pathogenicity of respiratory viral infections in the paranasal sinuses of patients with CF remains unknown. With recent advances in respiratory virus detection techniques, this study sought to detect the presence of respiratory viruses in the paranasal sinuses of patients with CF in comparison with healthy controls and to correlate the viral presence with clinical measures of sinonasal disease. Methods This prospective individual cohort study compared 24 patients with CF with 14 healthy controls. Basic demographics, clinical measures of disease and respiratory viral screens (commercial multiplex) obtained directly from the paranasal sinuses were compared between the two groups. Results Respiratory viruses were detected in 33% of patients with CF (8/24) compared with 0% of the healthy controls (0/14) (p = 0.017). Respiratory viruses were only detected during the winter months, and the most commonly identified were influenza A and human rhinovirus strains. There was no statistical difference in the 22-Item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) scores (p = 0.93) or modified Lund-Kennedy scores (p = 0.74) between patients with CF with a positive viral test and those without a positive result. Conclusions Respiratory viral detection is more commonly detected in the paranasal sinuses of patients with CF compared with healthy controls. Although respiratory viral presence did not correlate with a worse clinical severity of sinonasal disease, these findings may provide insight into the pathophysiology of CF and open new avenues for potential targeted therapy.

scholarly journals Seaweed Sulfated Polysaccharides against Respiratory Viral Infections

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 733
Author(s):  
Mehwish Jabeen ◽  
Mélody Dutot ◽  
Roxane Fagon ◽  
Bernard Verrier ◽  
Claire Monge
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Antiviral Activity ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Sulfated Polysaccharides ◽  
Safe Alternative ◽  
Synthetic Drugs ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections

Respiratory viral infections have been a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite massive advancements in the virology field, no specific treatment exists for most respiratory viral infections. Approved therapies against respiratory viruses rely almost exclusively on synthetic drugs that have potential side effects, restricting their use. This review aims to present natural marine sulfated polysaccharides possessing promising antiviral activity against respiratory viruses that could be a safe alternative to synthetic broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. The antiviral properties of marine sulfated polysaccharides are presented according to their mechanism of action on different types and strains of respiratory viruses, and the potential limits of their use are discussed.

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