Prevalence of upper respiratory tract infection and distribution of virus subtypes in Beijing Area / 公共卫生与预防医学

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the viral infection subtypes and epidemiological characteristics of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in Beijing area in 2020, and to provide references for URTI specific treatment and vaccination. Methods A total of 22 318 patients with URTI in Beijing area from January 2020 to December 2020 were enrolled in the study. Basic demographic information and clinical characteristics of the patients were collected, and their respiratory tract samples were collected. Eight major respiratory viruses (including respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, coronavirus, influenza virus, rhinovirus, bocavirus, and metapneumovirus) in the respiratory samples were detected by PCR. The pathogen composition and epidemiological characteristics of URTI were analyzed. Results ① Among the 22 318 cases of URTI, most of them were children under 5 years old and elderly patients over 70 years old, accounting for 25.02% and 19.43%, respectively; ② URTI mainly occurred in spring (35.71%) and winter (37.35%); ③ The total positive rate of respiratory virus was 49.35%, among which 45.42% were infected with single virus, 3.30% were infected with two viruses, and 0.63% were infected with three or more viruses; ④ Respiratory syncytial virus (49.35%) had the highest detection rate, followed by parainfluenza virus (12.98%), rhinovirus (9.48%), influenza virus (8.40%), adenovirus (6.01%), bocavirus (4.43%), coronavirus (3.97%), and metapneumovirus (2.90%); ⑤ The detection rates of respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza virus in children aged 0-5 years old and the elderly aged over 71 years old were higher than those in other age groups, while the detection rates of other pathogens of all age groups were similar; ⑥ Among 22,318 URTI patients, 290 cases were complicated with pneumonia, with a complication rate of 1.300%. The complication rate of pneumonia in patients with positive virus pathogens was significantly higher than that in patients with negative virus pathogens (χ2=18.011, P2=884.085, P<0.05). Conclusion Children under 5 years old and the elderly over 70 years old are the high-risk population of URTI, and URTI mainly occurs in spring and winter. Respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza virus are the main pathogens leading to URTI, and patients with virus infection and mixed virus infection suffer a higher risk of pneumonia.