scholarly journals Clinical and Pathogenic Characteristics of Lower Respiratory Tract Infection Treated at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital

Author(s):  
Hien T. Pham ◽  
Phuc T. T. Nguyen ◽  
Sinh T. Tran ◽  
Thuy T. B. Phung

Lower respiratory tract infections are commonly caused by viruses and cause significant morbidity and mortality among children. Early identification of the pathological agent causing these infections is essential to avoid unnecessary antibiotic use and improve patient management. Multiplex PCR techniques were recently developed to detect multiple viral pathogens using a single PCR reaction. In this study, we identify viral pathogens in children with respiratory infections. We collected 194 nasopharyngeal aspirates from infants (2–24 months old) with lower respiratory tract infections treated at the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital between November 2014 and June 2015 and assessed the presence of 16 virus types and subtypes by multiplex PCR using the xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel (RVP) assay. Overall, 73.7% of the samples were positive for at least one virus, and 24.2% corresponded to infections with multiple viruses. The most common viruses were respiratory syncytial virus and enterovirus/rhinovirus. These viruses were more frequent among younger patients (2–5 months old) and caused symptoms similar to those of bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The most common clinical manifestation caused by respiratory tract infection was bronchiolitis. Elevated neutrophils levels were associated with adenovirus infection. Our results showed that the xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel (RVP) can effectively detect multiple viruses causing respiratory infections in children and that the nasopharyngeal aspirates are a good sample choice to detect respiratory viruses in children. Applying this approach in the clinical setting would improve patient management and allow early diagnosis, thus avoiding the unnecessary use of antibiotics.

Author(s):  
Zeynep Onay ◽  
Deniz Mavi ◽  
Yetkin Ayhan ◽  
Sinem Can Oksay ◽  
Gulay Bas ◽  
...  

Background: COVID-19 outbreak lead to nationwide lockdown on the March 16th, 2020 in Turkey. We aimed to quantitively determine the change in frequency of upper and lower respiratory tract infections and asthma in pediatric population associated with COVID-19. Methods: The electronic medical record data of pediatric population admitted to the emergency department (ED), outpatient and inpatient clinics and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were analyzed with the diagnosis of Influenza, upper and lower respiratory tract infections (URTI, LRTI) acute bronchiolitis and asthma. The data of the first year of the pandemic was compared with the previous year. Results: In total 112496 admissions were made between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2021 in our hospital. A decline was observed in ED admissions (-73%) and outpatient clinic (-70%) visits, hospitalizations (-41.5%) and PICU admissions (-42%). The admissions with the diagnosis of Influenza and URTI had a decline from 4.26% to 0.37% (p=0.0001), and from 81.54% to 75.62% (p=0.0001), respectively. An increase was observed in the LRTI, acute bronchiolitis and asthma (from 8.22% to 10.01% (p=0.0001), from 2.76% to 3.07% (p=0.027) and from 5.96% to 14% (p=0.0001), respectively). Conclusions: A dramatic decrease was observed in the number of admissions to ED and inpatient clinics and outpatient clinic visits and PICU admissions, and, when the rates of admissions were compared, the general rate of admissions to ED showed a decrease while inpatient, outpatient clinics and PICU admissions demonstrated an increase during the pandemic.


Lab on a Chip ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 1519-1526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liesbet Van Heirstraeten ◽  
Peter Spang ◽  
Carmen Schwind ◽  
Klaus S. Drese ◽  
Marion Ritzi-Lehnert ◽  
...  

Fully automated LOC can reproduce and outperform benchtop NA-sample preparation starting with swab samples.


Author(s):  
Sagar A. Jawale

Introduction: In India and worldwide, there are millions of cases of acute respiratory infections annually killing hundreds of thousand people. It also has billions of dollars of losses worldwide. There are frequent outbreaks of deadly infections such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV), the novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in Mexico in March 2009, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012 and the current pandemic with Novel CoronaVirus -Covid19. I did my research to find a common effective, safe, and cheap therapynamed as Ozonated air inhalation therapy (OAIT) for respiratory infections. Materials and methods: In the last one year, I treated 21 patients (group A) with upper and lower respiratory tract infections (URTI and LRTI) with 0.1 ppm Ozonated air inhalation therapy (OAIT). OAIT was given as a monotherapy. In the same time period, 36 patients (group B) were given conventional treatment in the form of antibiotics, anti-histaminic and analgesics kept as control.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Elvira Cruz Jiménez ◽  
Liliana Quintanar Vera ◽  
J. Armando Lujan-Montelongo

Abstract. Covid-19 has resulted in a worldwide epidemic (pandemic) with high morbidity and mortality, which has generated efforts in various areas of research looking for safe and effective treatments to combat the virus that generates this disease: SARS-CoV-2. However, several viruses have been emerged/adapted in the last few decades, also affecting the respiratory system. According to the world health organization (WHO), lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and viruses are playing important roles as the cause of these infections. In contrast to the vast repertoire of antibiotics that exist to treat bacteria-caused LRTIs, there are a very few antivirals approved for the treatment of virus-caused LRTIs, whose approach consists mainly of drug reuse. This minireview deals on the main viral pathogens that cause LRTIs and some of the most relevant antivirals to counter them (available drugs and molecules in research/clinical trials), with concise comments of their mechanism of action.   Resumen. Covid-19 ha resultado en una epidemia mundial (pandemia) con alta morbilidad y mortalidad, lo que ha generado esfuerzos en diversas áreas de investigación en la búsqueda de tratamientos seguros y eficaces para combatir el virus que genera esta enfermedad: el SARS-CoV-2. Sin embargo, un número de virus han surgido o se han adaptado en las últimas décadas, que también afectan el sistema respiratorio. Según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), las infecciones en vías respiratorias inferiores (LRTIs, por sus siglas en inglés) son una de las principales causas de muerte a nivel mundial, siendo los virus de los principales patógenos causantes de estas infecciones. En contraste con el repertorio amplio de antibióticos que existen para tratar LRTIs causadas por bacterias, existen muy pocos antivirales aprobados para su tratamiento, cuyo enfoque consiste principalmente en la reutilización de fármacos. Este ensayo consiste en una breve revisión de los principales agentes virales que causan LRTIs y de los antivirales más relevantes para combatir los virus que las causan (tanto fármacos disponibles como moléculas en fases de investigación o clínicas), con comentarios concisos sobre su mecanismo de acción.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1966 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-158
Author(s):  
HEINZ F. EICHENWALD

When the reviewer began to peruse this volume, he was unable to put it down until he had completed reading it. The book is full of fascinating items of information, a few of which might be cited: "the common cold and minor respiratory illnesses are most likely caused by the group of bacteria found in upper and lower respiratory tract infections (usually the pneumonococcus, and streptococcus);" "(the etiology of primary atypical pneumonia) is obscure but it is believed that a specific respiratory virus will eventually be recovered;" "meningitis . . . is so serious a disease that one must recommend that most upper and lower respiratory infections be treated with sulfonamide and/or antibiotics;" "(sepsis neonatorum should be treated) with sulfadiazine or some other intravenous sulfonamide."


Author(s):  
Apoorva T Raju ◽  
Rojaleen Das ◽  
Nikki Rai ◽  
Ajay Kumar ◽  
Rajni Gaind

Introduction: The lower respiratory tract infections are a major cause of mortality in children below five years of age. Majority of the time the infection is self-limiting but often gets severe and fatal depending on various factors like age, aetiology, time of diagnosis, appropriate treatment, etc. Aim: To study viral aetiology of Acute Lower Respiratory tract Infections (ALRI) using multiplex real time qualitative Polymerase Chain Reactions (qPCR) among hospitalised children under five years of age. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital based prospective study conducted over a period of two years from June 2015 to May 2017, a throat and nasal swab was collected from 512 children ≤5 years who were being hospitalised for ALRI. The samples were tested by multiplex qPCR to detect viral and p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Out of 512 cases, 317 children were further studied. It was found that highest number of ALRI were observed in children of age less than six months i.e., 38.9% followed by 29.4%, 14.8% and 16.9% in the age group of 6-12 months, 12-24 months and 24-60 months, respectively. The one/more viral pathogens were detected in 58.3% (185/317) children. Respiratory Synctial Virus (RSV) was most common virus detected in 51.9% followed by Human Rhinovirus (HRV) in 23.2%. RSV was found to be statistically significant in infants and causes very severe ALRI. Conclusion: The use of multiplex qPCR has clarified the scenario of different respiratory viral aetiologies causing ALRI in different age group of children. The study results enhance knowledge for making strategy to prevent severity of ALRI in different age group, seasons and geographical area.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 456
Author(s):  
Srinivasa S. ◽  
Shruthi Patel

Background: Respiratory infections are the leading cause of mortality in children below 5 years in India as well as worldwide. 16% mortality in children below 5 years is attributed to lower respiratory tract infection. Various factors influence the occurrence of the disease like environmental factors, lack of immunization, malnutrition. Present study was conducted to know the distribution pattern of lower respiratory tract infections, common pathogens associated with respiratory infections and risk factors associated with it. Methods: This study was conducted in Department of Pediatrics, KIMS Bangalore for a period of 1 year from January 2016 to December 2016. Total of 172 children admitted to ward and ICU with history suggestive of respiratory infection were included in the study after excluding congenital heart problems, congenital lung problems and immunodeficiency state.Results: In the present study, male predominance (59.3%) was observed. The incidence of respiratory tract infection was 17.5%. The common pathogen isolated was streptococcus pneumoniae. Most common respiratory infections included bronchopneumonia followed by bronchiolitis, croup, and lobar pneumonia. The common symptoms were cough, fever and hurried breathing. Anemia was observed in majority of them. Conclusion: Respiratory infections if timely managed, the mortality associated with it can be reduced. Pneumonia is a major killer disease in children below 5 years in India. Understanding the symptoms and signs and time of referral to tertiary centre not only reduces the mortality but it also reduces morbidity. So, it is important to create awareness among the health care personnel regarding common age of presentation of various types of respiratory infection and warning sign. 


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