Paramyxoviruses respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, and human metapneumovirus infection in pediatric hospitalized patients and climate correlation in a subtropical region of southern China: a 7-year survey.

To investigate the features of paramyxovirus respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection and determine the effect of meteorological conditions in Guangzhou, a subtropical region of southern China. We collected 11,398 respiratory samples from hospitalized pediatric patients with acute respiratory illness between July 2009 and June 2016 in Guangzhou. The samples were tested simultaneously for 18 respiratory pathogens using real-time PCR. Local meteorological data were also collected for correlation analysis. Of 11,398 patients tested, 5606 (49.2%) patients tested positive for one or more pathogens; RSV, PIV, and HMPV were the first, sixth, and ninth most frequently detected pathogens, in 1690 (14.8%), 502 (4.4%), and 321 (2.8%) patients, respectively. A total 17.9% (4605/5606) of patients with positive results had coinfection with other pathogens. Significant differences were found in the prevalence of RSV, PIV, and HMPV among all age groups (p < 0.001). RSV and HMPV had similar seasonal patterns, with two prevalence peaks every year. PIV appeared alternatively with RSV and HMPV. Multiple linear regression models were established for RSV, PIV, and HMPV prevalence and meteorological factors (p < 0.05). RSV and PIV incidence was negatively correlated with monthly mean relative humidity; RSV and HMPV incidence was negatively correlated with sunshine duration; PIV incidence was positively correlated with mean temperature. We described the features of paramyxovirus infection in a subtropical region of China and highlighted the correlation with meteorological factors. These findings will assist public health authorities and clinicians in improving strategies for controlling paramyxovirus infection.

Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of human coronaviruses OC43, 229E, NL63, and HKU1: a study of hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infection in Guangzhou, China.

Human coronaviruses (HCoV) OC43, 229E, NL63, and HKU1 are common respiratory viruses which cause various respiratory diseases, including pneumonia. There is a paucity of evidence on the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of these four HCoV strains worldwide. We collected 11,399 throat swabs from hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infection from July 2009 to June 2016 in Guangzhou, China. These were tested for four strains of HCoV infection using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HCoV-positive patients were then tested for 11 other respiratory pathogens. 4.3% (489/11399) of patients were positive for HCoV, of which 3.0% were positive for OC43 (346/11399), 0.6% for 229E (65/11399), 0.5% for NL63 (60/11399), and 0.3% for HKU1 (38/11399). Patients aged 7-12 months had the highest prevalence of HCoV and OC43 when compared with other age groups (p < 0.001). The peak seasons of infection varied depending on the HCoV strain. Patients infected with a single strain of HCoV infection were less likely to present fever (≥ 38 °C) (p = 0.014) and more likely to present pulmonary rales (p = 0.043) than those co-infected with more than one HCoV strain or other respiratory pathogens. There were also significant differences in the prevalence of certain symptoms, including coughing (p = 0.032), pneumonia (p = 0.026), and abnormal pulmonary rales (p = 0.002) according to the strain of HCoV detected. This retrospective study of the prevalence of four HCoV strains and clinical signs among a large population of pediatric patients in a subtropical region of China provides further insight into the epidemiology and clinical features of HCoV.

Epidemiology of HBoV1 infection and relationship with meteorological conditions in hospitalized pediatric patients with acute respiratory illness: a 7-year study in a subtropical region.

BACKGROUND: Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) is an important cause of acute respiratory illness (ARI), yet the epidemiology and effect of meteorological conditions on infection is not fully understood. To investigate the distribution of HBoV1 and determine the effect of meteorological conditions, hospitalized pediatric patients were studied in a subtropical region of China. METHODS: Samples from 11,399 hospitalized pediatric patients (≤14 years old), with ARI were tested for HBoV1 and other common respiratory pathogens using real-time PCR, between July 2009 and June 2016. In addition, local meteorological data were collected. RESULTS: Of the 11,399 patients tested, 5606 (49.2%) were positive for at least one respiratory pathogen. Two hundred forty-eight of 11,399 (2.2%) were positive for HBoV1 infection. Co-infection was common in HBoV1-positive patients (45.2%, 112/248). A significant difference in the prevalence of HBoV1 was found in patients in different age groups (p < 0.001), and the peak prevalence was found in patients aged 7-12 months (4.7%, 56/1203). Two HBoV1 prevalence peaks were found in summer (between June and September) and winter (between November and December). The prevalence of HBoV1 was significantly positively correlated with mean temperature and negatively correlated with mean relative humidity, and the mean temperature in the preceding month had better explanatory power than the current monthly temperature. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a better understanding of the characteristics of HBoV1 infection in children in subtropical regions. Data from this study provide useful information for the future control and prevention of HBoV1 infections.

Protein profile of well-differentiated versus un-differentiated human bronchial/tracheal epithelial cells.

Un-differentiated (UD) and well-differentiated (WD) normal human primary bronchial/tracheal epithelial cells are important respiratory cell models. Mature, WD cells which can be derived by culturing UD cells at an air-liquid interface represent a good surrogate for in vivo human airway epithelium. The overall protein profile of WD cells is poorly understood; therefore, the current study evaluated the proteomic characteristics of WD and UD cells using label-free LC-MS/MS and LC-PRM/MS. A total of 3,579 proteins were identified in WD and UD cells. Of these, 198 proteins were identified as differentially expressed, with 121 proteins upregulated and 77 proteins downregulated in WD cells compared with UD cells. Differentially expressed proteins were mostly enriched in categories related to epithelial structure formation, cell cycle, and immunity. Fifteen KEGG pathways and protein interaction networks were enriched and identified. The current study provides a global protein profile of WD cells, and contributes to understanding the function of human airway epithelium.

Epidemiology of acute respiratory infections in children in Guangzhou: a three-year study.

Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) are some of the most common human diseases worldwide. However, they have a complex and diverse etiology, and the characteristics of the pathogens involved in respiratory infections in developing countries are not well understood. In this work, we analyzed the characteristics of 17 common respiratory pathogens in children (≤14 years old) with ARI in Guangzhou, southern China over a 3-year period using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Pathogens were identified in 2361/4242 (55.7%) patients, and the positivity rate varied seasonally. Ten of the 17 pathogens investigated showed positivity rates of more than 5%. The most frequently detected pathogens were respiratory syncytial virus (768/2361, 32.5%), influenza A virus (428/2361, 18.1%), enterovirus (138/2361, 13.3%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (267/2361, 11.3%) and adenovirus (213/2361, 9.0%). Co-pathogens were common and found in 503 of 2361 (21.3%) positive samples. When ranked according to frequency of occurrence, the pattern of co-pathogens was similar to that of the primary pathogens, with the exception of human bocavirus, human coronavirus and human metapneumovirus. Significant differences were found in age prevalence in 10 of the 17 pathogens (p≤0.009): four basic patterns were observed, A: detection rates increased with age, B: detection rates declined with age, C: the detection rate showed distinct peaks or D: numbers of patients were too low to detect a trend or showed no significant difference among age groups (p>0.05). These data will be useful for planning vaccine research and control strategies and for studies predicting pathogen prevalence.