Parainfluenza virus as a cause of acute respiratory infection in hospitalized childrens

Background: Human parainfluenza viruses account for a significant proportion of lower respiratory tract infections in children.Objective: To assess the prevalence of Human parainfluenza viruses as a cause of acute respiratory infection and to compare clinical data for this infection against those of the human respiratory syncytial virus.Methods: A prospective study in children younger than five years with acute respiratory infection was conducted. Detection of respiratory viruses in nasopharyngeal aspirate samples was performed using the indirect immunofluorescence reaction. Length of hospital stay, age, clinical history and physical exam, clinical diagnoses, and evolution (admission to Intensive Care Unit or general ward, discharge or death) were assessed. Past personal (premature birth and cardiopathy) as well as family (smoking and atopy) medical factors were also assessed.Results: A total of 585 patients were included with a median age of 7.9 months and median hospital stay of six days. No difference between the HRSV+ and HPIV+ groups was found in terms of age, gender or length of hospital stay. The HRSV+ group had more fever and cough. Need for admission to the Intensive Care Unit was similar for both groups but more deaths were recorded in the HPIV+ group. The occurrence of parainfluenza peaked during the autumn in the first two years of the study.Conclusion: Parainfluenza was responsible for significant morbidity, proving to be the second-most prevalent viral agent in this population after respiratory syncytial virus. No difference in clinical presentation was found between the two groups, but mortality was higher in the HPIV+ group.

Molecular epidemiological study on human metapneumovirus infection among children in Guangzhou / 中华临床感染病杂志

ObjectiveTo conduct a molecular epidemiological study on human metapneumovirus (hMPV) among pediatric patients in Guangzhou. MethodsA total of 1 840 clinical specimens were obtained from pediatric patients with respiratory infections in Guangzhou Women and Children' s Medical Center in 2010.hMPV was detected by real-time TaqMan RT-PCR in clinical specimens.F gene was amplified and the PCR-products were directly sequenced. ResultsIn 1 840 clinical specimens, 66 werehMPV-positive with a positive rate of 3.59％. hMPV was detected in all specimens except those collected in September and October, and the highest positive hMPV rate occurred in April (6.09％). The F genes of 3 randomly selected strains and hMPVgz01 ( isolated in 2008) were compared with subgroups A1, A2, B1,B2 and C, and the highest homology was with BJ1887 strain of genotype A2b (97％). The F genes of the randomly selected strains and hMPVgz01 were 99％ identical to each other. Sequences and phylogenetics analysis revealed that the epidemical strain in Guangzhou belonged to genotype A2b. ConclusionhMPV is prevalent in spring and summer among children in Guangzhou, and A2b is the predominant genotype.