Viral tests of hospitalized patients with acute respiratory tract infection in a hospital of Beijing

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of viral nucleic acid tests for clinical specimens of the hospitalized patients with acute respiratory tract infection(ARTI) so as to provide guidance for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ARTI. METHODS: Totally 479 patients with ARTI who were treated in Beijing Tongren Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from Jan 1, 2017 to Jan 1, 2020 were enrolled in the study, the results of tests for 14 types of viruses(subtypes) such as FluA-H1, FluA-H3, FluB, parainfluenza virusI-IV, coronavirus OC43, 229 E, NL63, respiratory syncytial virus, human rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus and adenovirus in the clinical specimens were retrospectively collected. The isolation rates of the viruses and etiological and epidemiological characteristics of the patients with ARTI were observed and compared among the age groups and different seasons. RESULTS: A total of 259 strains of viruses were isolated from sputum, alveolar lavage fluid and nasopharyngeal swab specimens of 479 patients, with the isolation rate 54.1%(259/479). Among the 14 types of respiratory tract viruses isolated, the isolation rates of FluA-H1, FluA-H3, human rhinovirus, adenovirus and FluB were 42.1%(109/259), 19.7%(51/259), 8.9%(23/259), 6.2%(16/259) and 5.4%(14/259), respectively. The FluA-H1 was prevalent in autumn and winter, adenovirus was prevalent in summer, parainfluenza virusI was prevalent in summer, as compared with other seasons, there was significant difference(P<0.05);there was no significant difference in the isolation rates of other viruses among the seasons;there were no significant differences in the isolation rates of viruses among the age groups. CONCLUSION: There are a variety of viruses isolated from the clinical specimens of the hospitalized patients with ARTI, the influenza viruses are dominant and are prevalent in autumn and winter. The elderly patients are dominant among the hospitalized patients with the infection.