ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Health-care workers (HCWs) are at higher risk of acquisition and transmission of respiratory virus infections. Nosocomial transmission of influenza has been documented but whether this is so for other respiratory viruses has not been assessed. METHODS: Epidemiological, clinical and viral laboratory surveillance was carried out on HCWs presenting with acute respiratory infection in a university hospital. RESULTS: Over a 2-year period, 203 subjects were recruited: rhinovirus was the most frequently detected virus (37.7% in flu negative samples) and influenza A/B was positive in only 12.3% of subjects. Only 19.7% of HCWs were immunized against influenza. High detection of rhinovirus occurred even during the peak of the influenza season and half of the infected subjects reported an influenza-like illness. CONCLUSION: Rhinovirus infection occurred frequently in this study population and probably contributes to influenza misdiagnosis. Educational interventions about different viruses causing respiratory symptoms and an increase in standards of infection control besides influenza immunization among HCWs is needed.
Subject(s)
Common Cold/epidemiology , Cross Infection/epidemiology , Health Personnel , Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional , Influenza, Human/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Brazil/epidemiology , Common Cold/transmission , Cross Infection/transmission , Female , Humans , Incidence , Influenza A virus/genetics , Influenza A virus/isolation & purification , Influenza, Human/transmission , Male , Middle Aged , RNA, Viral/analysis , Retrospective Studies , Rhinovirus/genetics , Rhinovirus/isolation & purification , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
O objetivo do estudo foi investigar a ocorrência de cepas de citomegalovírus humano (HCMV) com resistência primária aos antivirais utilizados na terapêutica de pacientes transplantados renais. Para isso empregou-se um método de triagem por reação em cadeia de polimerase (PCR) e polimorfismo de tamanho de fragmentos de restrição (RFLP) capaz de detectar mutações específicas nos genes UL97 e UL54 relacionadas com resistência antiviral. Foram coletadas amostras (sangue, saliva e urina) de 20 pacientes transplantados renais no momento do diagnóstico da infecção pelo HCMV e sem terapia antiviral prévia. Embora não tenham sido encontradas cepas de HCMV com nenhuma das mutações estudadas, a metodologia empregada demonstrou-se rápida e eficaz na análise dos genes virais das diferentes amostras testadas. A ausência de resistência primária no presente estudo não descarta a possibilidade de esse evento ocorrer futuramente no Brasil, uma vez que o emprego das drogas antivirais tem se disseminado em todo o mundo. Sugerimos, então, a aplicação da metodologia de PCR/RFLP na investigação de resistência do HCMV aos antivirais.
