The relationship between air quality and respiratory pathogens among children in Suzhou City

Abstract Objective We studied the short-term effects of air pollutant concentrations in Suzhou City on respiratory infections in children of different age groups. Methods We employed clinical data from children hospitalized with respiratory infections at the Children’s Hospital of Soochow University during 2014–2016, and air quality for Suzhou City covering the same period.We investigated the relationships between the air pollutant concentrations and respiratory tract infections in children by causative pathogen using time series models with lagged effects. Results The results of single-pollutant models showed that PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2 and CO had statistically significant associations with respiratory tract infections in children under 3 years, with the largest effect sizes at a lag of 3 weeks. Notably, the multi-pollutant model found PM2.5 was significantly associated with viral respiratory in children under 7 months, and bacterial respiratory infections in other age groups, while PM10 concentrations were associated with viral infections in preschool children. Conclusion PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 are the main atmospheric pollutants in Suzhou. The associations between pollutant concentrations and viral and bacterial respiratory infections were stronger among children under 3 years than for older age group.s PM2.5 had the strongest influence on viral and Mycoplasma pneumoniae respiratory infections when multiple pollutants were tested together.

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Viral etiology and epidemiology of pediatric patients hospitalized for acute respiratory tract infections in Macao: a retrospective study from 2014 to 2017

BMC Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1186/s12879-021-05996-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cheng Lei ◽

Lisong Yang ◽

Cheong Tat Lou ◽

Fan Yang ◽

Kin Ian SiTou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Lower Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Pediatric Patients ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Upper Respiratory Tract ◽

Viral Etiology ◽

Upper Respiratory ◽

Syncytial Virus ◽

Tract Infections

Abstract Background Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are among the leading causes of hospitalization in children. Understanding the local dominant viral etiologies is important to inform infection control practices and clinical management. This study aimed to investigate the viral etiology and epidemiology of respiratory infections among pediatric inpatients in Macao. Methods A retrospective study using electronic health records between 2014 and 2017 at Kiang Wu Hospital was performed. Nasopharyngeal swab specimens were obtained from hospitalized children aged 13 years or younger with respiratory tract diseases. xMAP multiplex assays were employed to detect respiratory agents including 10 respiratory viruses. Data were analyzed to describe the frequency and seasonality. Results Of the 4880 children enrolled in the study, 3767 (77.1%) were positive for at least one of the 13 viral pathogens tested, of which 2707 (55.5%) being male and 2635 (70.0%) under 2 years old. Among the positive results, there were 3091 (82.0%) single infections and 676 (18.0%) multiple infections. The predominant viruses included human rhinovirus/enterovirus (HRV/EV 27.4%), adenovirus (ADV, 15.8%), respiratory syncytial virus B (RSVB, 7.8%) and respiratory syncytial virus A (RSVA, 7.8%). The detection of viral infection was the most prevalent in autumn (960/1176, 81.6%), followed by spring (1095/1406, 77.9%), winter (768/992, 77.4%), and summer (944/1306, 72.3%), with HRV/EV and ADV being most commonly detected throughout the 4 years of study period. The detection rate of viral infection was highest among ARI patients presented with croup (123/141, 87.2%), followed by lower respiratory tract infection (1924/2356, 81.7%) and upper respiratory tract infection (1720/2383, 72.2%). FluA, FluB and ADV were positive factors for upper respiratory tract infections. On the other hand, infection with RSVA, RSVB, PIV3, PIV4, HMPV, and EV/RHV were positively associated with lower respiratory tract infections; and PIV1, PIV2, and PIV3 were positively associated with croup. Conclusions This is the first study in Macao to determine the viral etiology and epidemiology of pediatric patients hospitalized for ARIs. The study findings can contribute to the awareness of pathogen, appropriate preventative measure, accurate diagnosis, and proper clinical management of respiratory viral infections among children in Macao.

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Evaluation of the prevalence and seasonality of human parainfluenza virus over five year period in pediatric patients

Medical Science and Discovery ◽

10.36472/msd.v8i4.530 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 260-265

Author(s):

Meryem Colak ◽

Selin Yigit ◽

Anil Tapisiz ◽

Hager Muftah ◽

Kenan Yuce ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Pediatric Patients ◽

Age Groups ◽

Treatment Decision ◽

Respiratory Illness ◽

Common Type ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Syncytial Virus ◽

Tract Infections

Objective: Human Parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) cause respiratory tract infections, and the second most common cause of acute respiratory illness-related hospitalizations after the respiratory syncytial virus in children <5 years of age. The aim of the study; determination of HPIVs positivity and common types in pediatric patients with respiratory tract infection; investigation the distribution of HPIV positivity by age groups, months and seasons, respectively. Material and Method: HPIV results of 1613 pediatric patients who were sent to the molecular virology laboratory from various pediatric clinics of Gazi Hospital between March 2016 and February 2021 (five years period) were investigated. Nucleic acid isolation was performed on the EZ1 Advanced (Qiagen, Germany) device using the EZ1 Virus Mini Kit by the manufacturer's protocol. Results: HPIV positivity was detected as 4.1% in clinical samples and, the most common HPIV type was found to be HPIV-3 (55%). The distribution of other HPIV types were; HPIV-2, HPIV-4 and HPIV-1 with 26%, 23% and 14%, respectively. HPIV-3 is the most common type in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019; however, HPIV-1 is the most common type in 2020. HPIVs co-infection was detected with other respiratory tract viruses in 51% of samples. The highest HPIV co-infection was detected in Rhinovirus. The highest HPIV positivity rate (45%) were determined in the 0-2 age group compared to other age groups (p<0.05). The highest positivity rate was in October in the autumn season (p<0.05), the lowest was in January and February in winter. The highest rate (8.1%) of HPIV positivity was found in 2016 and the lowest rate (0.7%) was in 2020. Conclusions: Since it is not possible to diagnose viral etiology of respiratory tract infections based on clinical findings, viral respiratory tract panel and Multiplex real-time PCR test are a fast and useful method in early diagnosis, treatment decision and prevention of unnecessary antibiotic use. HPIVs positivity is seen at higher rates in children aged 0-2 and in autumn months with seasonal differences.

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Characterization of the microflora of ventilator-associated respiratory tract infections in patients with severe trauma

Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases (Russian Journal) ◽

10.17816/eid40826 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 8-13

Author(s):

O. A Orlova ◽

V. G Akimkin

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Severe Trauma ◽

Surgical Intensive Care Unit ◽

Surgical Intensive Care ◽

Microbial Associations ◽

Initial Severity ◽

Tract Infections

Rationale The relevance of ventilator-associated respiratory tract infections in severe injury patients (SIP) is associated with both features of causative pathogens and the initial severity of the state of patients. Among causative pathogens nosocomial flora is dominant. Purpose - to perform an analysis of the microbiological monitoring of ventilator-associated respiratory tract infections in SIP. The analysis was based on the results of a prospective epidemiological, clinical, and instrumental study of 100 SIP with ventilator-associated respiratory tract infections, stayed in the surgical intensive care unit. The proportion of ventilator-associated respiratory infections in the structure of nosocomial infections in these patients is between 90 - 95%, at that there was revealed the prevalence of nosocomial pneumonia (61%). Ventilator-associated respiratory tract infection most commonly occurs during the first 10 days of mechanical ventilation. The prevailing flora was represented by Gram negative Acinetobacter baumamnnii (40.3 ± 2.1%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (38.4% ± 3.2%). Isolated microorganisms possessed multiple antibiotic resistance, with the greatest extent to aminoglycosides - 69.5%, fluoroquinolones - 40.3%, penicillin - 37.6%; cephalosporins (third generation) - 33.8%. There is noted marked preponderance of microbial associations compared with monocultures 57.1 ± 5.3%.

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La surveillance de la qualité de l'air dans les Hauts-de-France

La Météorologie ◽

10.37053/lameteorologie-2021-0092 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 045

Author(s):

Jimmy Leyes ◽

Laure Roussel

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Quality Monitoring ◽

Air Quality Monitoring ◽

Non Profit ◽

The Public ◽

Pollutant Concentrations ◽

Ambient Concentrations ◽

Air Pollutant Concentrations ◽

Qualité De L’Air

La surveillance réglementaire de la qualité de l'air en France est confiée aux associations régionales agréées de surveillance de la qualité de l'air (Aasqa) telles qu'Atmo Hauts-de-France. Elles s'appuient sur une palette d'outils et leur expertise pour mesurer les polluants dans l'air de leur territoire, alerter les populations en cas d'épisode de pollution, répondre aux exigences réglementaires de surveillance définies au niveau européen, tout en prenant en compte les spécificités régionales. Cet article présente les différents outils utilisés par les Aasqa, et plus particulièrement Atmo Hauts-de-France, pour surveiller et estimer la qualité de l'air. L'association régionale opère ainsi un ensemble de stations de mesures fixes et mobiles pour suivre en continu les concentrations de polluants réglementés ou non sur son territoire, et dispose d'outils de modélisation pour évaluer et prévoir la qualité de l'air en tous points de la région. Cet article présente également certains des paramètres météorologiques qui influencent la qualité de l'air de la région Hauts-de-France, particulièrement concernée par les épisodes de pollution aux particules. Regulatory air quality monitoring in France is performed by government-approved non-profit organisations called AASQAs, one of which is Atmo Hauts-de-France. These organisations rely on decades of accumulated air quality expertise and use several techniques to measure air pollutant concentrations, inform the public when pollutant levels are unhealthy, and comply with E.U. air quality monitoring regulations. This paper gives an overview of the tools used by AASQAs, and more particularly by Atmo Hauts-de-France, to monitor and forecast air quality. The year-round continuous monitoring of air pollutant levels at fixed sites is supplemented by short-term measurements made with fully-equipped vehicles or trailers and by modelling tools that forecast air quality and estimate pollutant levels where there are no measurements. AASQAs study pollutants which ambient concentrations are regulated by European air quality standards as well as other pollutants which are not regulated in this way. This work also discusses some of the meteorological factors, that affect air quality in the region Hauts-de-France, which is heavily impacted by particulate matter pollution.

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Usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cell (WBC) levels in the differential diagnosis of acute bacterial, viral, and mycoplasmal respiratory tract infections in children

BMC Pulmonary Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12890-021-01756-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yang Li ◽

Lanfang Min ◽

Xin Zhang

Keyword(s):

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Bacterial Infection ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Group A ◽

Tract Infections

Abstract Background There is a lack of studies comparing PCT, CRP and WBC levels in the differential diagnosis of acute bacterial, viral, and mycoplasmal respiratory tract infections. It is necessary to explore the correlation between above markers and different types of ARTI. Methods 108 children with confirmed bacterial infection were regarded as group A, 116 children with virus infection were regarded as group B, and 122 children with mycoplasmal infection were regarded as group C. The levels of PCT, CRP and WBC of the three groups were detected and compared. Results The levels of PCT, CRP and WBC in group A were significantly higher than those in groups B and C (p < 0.05). The positive rate of combined detection of PCT, CRP and WBC was significant higher than that of single detection. There was no significant difference in PCT, CRP and WBC levels between the group of G+ bacterial infection and G− bacterial infection (p > 0.05). ROC curve results showed that the AUC of PCT, CRP and WBC for the diagnosis of bacterial respiratory infections were 0.65, 0.55, and 0.58, respectively. Conclusions PCT, CRP and WBC can be combined as effective indicators for the identification of acute bacterial or no-bacterial infections in children. The levels of PCT and CRP have higher differential diagnostic value than that of WBC in infection, and the combined examination of the three is more valuable in clinic.

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Did admissions caused by respiratory infections and asthma decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic?

10.22541/au.163403131.16322634/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zeynep Onay ◽

Deniz Mavi ◽

Yetkin Ayhan ◽

Sinem Can Oksay ◽

Gulay Bas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Outpatient Clinic ◽

Lower Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Pediatric Population ◽

Pediatric Intensive Care ◽

Acute Bronchiolitis ◽

Lower Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Tract Infections

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.

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Bacterial Infections of the Adult Upper Respiratory Tract

10.2310/fm.1237 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Laura K Certain ◽

Miriam B Barshak

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Group A Streptococcus ◽

The United States ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Upper Respiratory Tract ◽

Upper Respiratory ◽

Tract Infections

Upper respiratory tract infections are the most common maladies experienced by humankind.1 The majority are caused by respiratory viruses. A Dutch case-controlled study of primary care patients with acute respiratory tract infections found that viruses accounted for 58% of cases; rhinovirus was the most common (24%), followed by influenza virus type A (11%) and coronaviruses (7%). Group A streptococcus (GAS) was responsible for 11%, and 3% of patients had mixed infections. Potential pathogens were detected in 30% of control patients who were free of acute respiratory symptoms; rhinovirus was the most common.2 Given the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance and the increasing awareness of the importance of a healthy microbiome, antibiotic use for upper respiratory infections should be reserved for those patients with clear indications for treatment. A recent study of adult outpatient visits in the United States found that respiratory complaints accounted for 150 antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 population annually, yet the expected “appropriate” rate would be 45.3 In other words, most antibiotic prescriptions for these complaints are unnecessary. Similarly, a study in the United Kingdom found that general practitioners prescribed antibiotics to about half of all patients presenting with an upper respiratory infection, even though most of these infections are viral.4 This review contains 5 figures, 16 tables, and 82 references. Keywords: infection, airway, sinusitis, otitis media, otitis externa, pharyngitis, epiglottitis, abscess

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Hospital-Acquired Viral Respiratory Tract Infections in the Neonatal Unit: A Comparison with Other Inpatient Groups

Neonatology ◽

10.1159/000506427 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (4) ◽

pp. 513-516

Author(s):

Chiara Taylor ◽

Shin Tan ◽

Rebecca McClaughry ◽

Don Sharkey

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Viral Infections ◽

Age Groups ◽

Length Of Hospital Stay ◽

Fold Increase ◽

Hospital Inpatient ◽

Tract Infections ◽

Hospital Acquired ◽

Viral Respiratory

Background: Hospital-acquired viral respiratory tract infections (VRTIs) cause significant morbidity and mortality in neonatal patients. This includes escalation of respiratory support, increased length of hospital stay, and need for home oxygen, as well as higher healthcare costs. To date, no studies have compared population rates of VRTIs across age groups. Aim: Quantify the rates of hospital-acquired VRTIs in our neonatal population compared with other inpatient age groups in Nottinghamshire, UK. Methods: We compared all hospital inpatient PCR-positive viral respiratory samples between 2007 and 2013 and calculated age-stratified rates based on population estimates. Results: From a population of 4,707,217, we identified a previously unrecognised burden of VRTI in neonatal patients, only second to the 0–1-year-old group. Although only accounting for 1.3% of the population, half of the infections were in infants <1 year old and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients. Human rhinovirus was the most dominant virus across the inpatient group, particularly in neonatal patients. Despite a two- to three-fold increase in the rate of positive samples in all groups during the colder months (1.1/1,000 October–March vs. 0.4/1,000 April–September), rates in the NICU did not change throughout the year at 4.3/1,000. Pandemic H1N1 influenza rates were 20 times higher in neonatal patients and infants <1 year old. Conclusion: Good epidemiological and interventional data are needed to help inform visiting and infection control policies to reduce transmission of hospital-acquired viral infections to this vulnerable population, particularly during pandemic seasons.

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Nepal Ambient Monitoring and Source Testing Experiment (NAMaSTE): emissions of particulate matter and sulfur dioxide from vehicles and brick kilns and their impacts on air quality in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-19-8209-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (12) ◽

pp. 8209-8228 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Min Zhong ◽

Eri Saikawa ◽

Alexander Avramov ◽

Chen Chen ◽

Boya Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

Vehicle Emissions ◽

Air Pollutant ◽

Kathmandu Valley ◽

So2 Emissions ◽

Emissions Inventory ◽

Brick Kilns ◽

Pollutant Concentrations ◽

Air Pollutant Concentrations ◽

Local Emissions

Abstract. Air pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues in the Kathmandu Valley, where the capital city of Nepal is located. We estimated emissions from two of the major source types in the valley (vehicles and brick kilns) and analyzed the corresponding impacts on regional air quality. First, we estimated the on-road vehicle emissions in the valley using the International Vehicle Emissions (IVE) model with local emissions factors and the latest available data for vehicle registration. We also identified the locations of the brick kilns in the Kathmandu Valley and developed an emissions inventory for these kilns using emissions factors measured during the Nepal Ambient Monitoring and Source Testing Experiment (NAMaSTE) field campaign in April 2015. Our results indicate that the commonly used global emissions inventory, the Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (HTAP_v2.2), underestimates particulate matter emissions from vehicles in the Kathmandu Valley by a factor greater than 100. HTAP_v2.2 does not include the brick sector and we found that our sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions estimates from brick kilns are comparable to 70 % of the total SO2 emissions considered in HTAP_v2.2. Next, we simulated air quality using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) for April 2015 based on three different emissions scenarios: HTAP only, HTAP with updated vehicle emissions, and HTAP with both updated vehicle and brick kilns emissions. Comparisons between simulated results and observations indicate that the model underestimates observed surface elemental carbon (EC) and SO2 concentrations under all emissions scenarios. However, our updated estimates of vehicle emissions significantly reduced model bias for EC, while updated emissions from brick kilns improved model performance in simulating SO2. These results highlight the importance of improving local emissions estimates for air quality modeling. We further find that model overestimation of surface wind leads to underestimated air pollutant concentrations in the Kathmandu Valley. Future work should focus on improving local emissions estimates for other major and underrepresented sources (e.g., crop residue burning and garbage burning) with a high spatial resolution, as well as the model's boundary-layer representation, to capture strong spatial gradients of air pollutant concentrations.

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The prevalence of enteroviruses that cause respiratory infections in patients with influenzavirus A/H1N1 hospitalized in the Lublin province

Current Issues in Pharmacy and Medical Sciences ◽

10.1515/cipms-2015-0015 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 199-201

Author(s):

Adrian Jarzynski ◽

Agata Dubas ◽

Malgorzata Polz-Dacewicz

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Tract ◽

Influenza A ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Respiratory Infections ◽

Genetic Material ◽

Respiratory Viruses ◽

Influenza A H1n1 ◽

Tract Infections ◽

Viral Respiratory

ABSTRACT Viruses that cause respiratory tract infections are the most common agents of infectious diseases in humans throughout the world. A virus that infects the respiratory system, may induce various clinical symptoms. What is more, the same symptoms may be caused by different viruses. The aim of the study was to analyze the prevalence of enteroviruses that cause respiratory infections in patients with influenzavirus A/H1N1 hospitalized in the Lublin province. The experimental material was throat and nose swabs taken from patients hospitalized in Lublin and Tomaszow Lubelski. In the group of 44 patients (20 women and 24 men) infected with influenza A/H1N1, the genetic material of enteroviruses was detected in 13 patients (29.5%). Respiratory viruses co-infections are very common in hospitalized patients. Studies show that co-infection with influenza virus and enterovirus are more common in children than in adults. Moreover, viral respiratory tract infections are independent from the patients’ gender.

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