scholarly journals Spotlight influenza: Extending influenza surveillance to detect non-influenza respiratory viruses of public health relevance: analysis of surveillance data, Belgium, 2015 to 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (38) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Subissi ◽  
Nathalie Bossuyt ◽  
Marijke Reynders ◽  
Michèle Gérard ◽  
Nicolas Dauby ◽  
...  

Background Seasonal influenza-like illness (ILI) affects millions of people yearly. Severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), mainly influenza, are a leading cause of hospitalisation and mortality. Increasing evidence indicates that non-influenza respiratory viruses (NIRV) also contribute to the burden of SARI. In Belgium, SARI surveillance by a network of sentinel hospitals has been ongoing since 2011. Aim We report the results of using in-house multiplex qPCR for the detection of a flexible panel of viruses in respiratory ILI and SARI samples and the estimated incidence rates of SARI associated with each virus. Methods We defined ILI as an illness with onset of fever and cough or dyspnoea. SARI was defined as an illness requiring hospitalisation with onset of fever and cough or dyspnoea within the previous 10 days. Samples were collected in four winter seasons and tested by multiplex qPCR for influenza virus and NIRV. Using catchment population estimates, we calculated incidence rates of SARI associated with each virus. Results One third of the SARI cases were positive for NIRV, reaching 49.4% among children younger than 15 years. In children younger than 5 years, incidence rates of NIRV-associated SARI were twice that of influenza (103.5 vs 57.6/100,000 person-months); co-infections with several NIRV, respiratory syncytial viruses, human metapneumoviruses and picornaviruses contributed most (33.1, 13.6, 15.8 and 18.2/100,000 person-months, respectively). Conclusion Early testing for NIRV could be beneficial to clinical management of SARI patients, especially in children younger than 5 years, for whom the burden of NIRV-associated disease exceeds that of influenza.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Subissi ◽  
Nathalie Bossuyt ◽  
Marijke Reynders ◽  
Michèle Gérard ◽  
Nicolas Dauby ◽  
...  

AbstractBACKGROUNDSeasonal influenza-like illness (ILI) affects millions of people yearly. Severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), mainly caused by influenza, are a leading cause of hospitalisation and mortality. Increasing evidence indicates that non-influenza respiratory viruses (NIRVs) also contribute to the burden of SARI. In Belgium, SARI surveillance by a network of sentinel hospitals is ongoing since 2011.AIMHere, we report the results of using in-house multiplex PCRs for the detection of a flexible panel of viruses in respiratory ILI and SARI samples and the estimated incidence rates of SARI associated to each virus.METHODSILI was defined as an infection with onset of fever and cough or dyspnoea. SARI was defined as an infection requiring hospitalization with onset of fever and cough or dyspnoea within the previous 10 days. Samples were collected during four winter seasons and tested by multiplex RT-qPCRs for influenza virus and NIRVs. Using catchment population estimates, incidence rates of SARI associated to each virus were calculated.RESULTSOne third of the SARI cases were positive for NIRVs, reaching 49.4% among children under fifteen. In children under five, incidence rates of NIRV-associated SARI were double that of influenza (103.4 versus 57.6 per 100000 person-months), with NIRV co-infections, respiratory syncytial viruses, human metapneumoviruses and picornaviruses contributing the most (33.1, 13.6, 15.8 and 18.2 per 100000 person-months, respectively).CONCLUSIONEarly testing for NIRVs could be beneficial to clinical management of SARI patients, especially in children under five, for whom the burden of NIRV-associated disease exceeds that of influenza.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 36-40
Author(s):  
Z. Sh. Nurmatov

Introduction: Review of official reports for the last 10 years revealed that up to 5% of the country population suffers from acute respiratory infections (ARI) annually. The study aimed to research the actual incidence by analyzing the prevailing behaviors in populations with respiratory symptoms.Methods: The prospective behavioral study was conducted at the outpatient clinic No 1 in Bishkek, with the number of catchment population aged above 18 totaling 25,057. Selection of respondents was based on systematic sampling. Every hundredth resident was selected from the electronic database of the catchment population. 224 people above 18 were actually enrolled in the study. The survey continued from November 2012 to April 2013. Except for the first interview, all follow-up interviews were done over the phone. For the purposes of the study, individuals in the study group were considered cases if they exhibited symptoms of ARI, according to the WHO Regional Office for Europe guidance for sentinel influenza surveillance in humans (2011). The survey results data analysis was performed using the Epi Info statistical software.Results: From November 2012, to April 2013, 61.2% (224) of the observed population became ill. 46.7% were ill with ARI once, 40.1% – 2 – 3 times, 11.7% – 4 – 7 times, as a result 137 people got sick a total of 307 times (136,161 per 100,000 population), only 75 cases sought medical attention (24.6%). The incidence rates in the observed group of patients with ARI (75/305) who sought medical care per 100,000 population comprised 33,482.1. According to the routine surveillance in 2012 – 2013 epidemic season, there were 34,637 cases of ARI (3,826.9 per 100,000 population). In the fall, the incidence totaled 36.8%, in winter – 20.2% and in spring 29.1%. The incidence rates by age group, gender, and presence of children in the family did not have statistically significant differences. The most frequent symptoms were as follows: cough (64.6%), rhinitis (61.0%), headache (58.1%), and sore throat (50.1%).Conclusions: In the 2012 – 2013 epidemic season, the incidence of ARI in the observed population was 35.6 times higher than the registered incidence in Bishkek, which indicates the low rate of seeking care. 


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 823
Author(s):  
Huifen Zhou ◽  
Jen-Hui Tsou ◽  
Molangur Chinthalapally ◽  
Hongjie Liu ◽  
Feng Jiang

SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and respiratory syncytial viruses (RSVs) cause acute respiratory infections with similar symptoms. Since the treatments and outcomes of these infections are different, the early detection and accurate differentiation of the viruses are clinically important for the prevention and treatment of the diseases. We previously demonstrated that clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) could rapidly and precisely detect SARS-CoV-2. The objective of this study was to develop CRISPR as a test for simultaneously detecting and accurately distinguishing the viruses. The CRISPR assay with an RNA guide against each virus was performed in the reference standards of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B, and RSV. The CRISPR assay had a limit of detection of 1–100 copies/µL for specifically detecting SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B, and RSV without cross-reaction with other respiratory viruses. The validation of the test in nasopharyngeal specimens showed that it had a 90–100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B, and RSV. The CRISPR assay could potentially be used for sensitive detection and specific differentiation of the respiratory viruses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-126
Author(s):  
Evgeniya Viktorovna Lelenkova ◽  
Alexandr Yurievich Markaryan

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory viral infections are ubiquitous. Part of the cases are severe and require hospital treatment. AIM: Studying the etiology of severe acute respiratory infections in patients of Ekaterinburg hospitals in different epidemic seasons (from 2017 to 2020). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1,132 cases of severe acute respiratory infection were assessed. The structure of laboratory-confirmed cases was determined. RESULTS: In the assessed seasons, the proportion of respiratory viruses in the etiological structure of severe acute respiratory infections was 56.0% on average. B/Yamagata lineage of influenza viruses was predominant in the season of 2017/2018 (23.9% from the total number of respiratory viruses), influenza А (H1N1)pdm09 viruses were predominant in the season of 2018/2019 (27.7%), and influenza A and B viruses were identified in 2019/2020 (39.4% and 31.7%, respectively). СONCLUSIONS: The obtained results confirm a key role of influenza viruses in the etiology of severe acute respiratory infections among the hospital patients in different epidemic seasons.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-425
Author(s):  
Anna Sominina ◽  
Daria Danilenko ◽  
Andrey Komissarov ◽  
Maria Pisareva ◽  
Tamila Musaeva ◽  
...  

AbstractThe expansion and standardization of clinical trials, as well as the use of sensitive and specific molecular diagnostics methods, provide new information on the age-specific roles of influenza and other respiratory viruses in development of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). Here, we present the results of the multicenter hospital-based study aimed to detect age-specific impact of influenza and other respiratory viruses (ORV). The 2018–2019 influenza season in Russia was characterized by co-circulation of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and A(H3N2) virus subtypes which were detected among hospitalized patients with SARI in 19.3% and 16.4%, respectively. RSV dominated among ORV (15.1% of total cases and 26.8% in infants aged ≤ 2 years). The most significant SARI agents in intensive care units were RSV and influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus, (37.3% and 25.4%, respectively, of PCR-positive cases). Hyperthermia was the most frequently registered symptom for influenza cases. In contrast, hypoxia, decreased blood O2 concentration, and dyspnea were registered more often in RSV, rhinovirus, and metapneumovirus infection in young children. Influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) against hospitalization of patients with PCR-confirmed influenza was evaluated using test-negative case–control design. IVE for children and adults was estimated to be 57.0% and 62.0%, respectively. Subtype specific IVE was higher against influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, compared to influenza A(H3N2) (60.3% and 45.8%, respectively). This correlates with delayed antigenic drift of the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus and genetic heterogeneity of the influenza A(H3N2) population. These studies demonstrate the need to improve seasonal influenza prevention and control in all countries as states by the WHO Global Influenza Strategy for 2019–2030 initiative.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document