ABSTRACT
Human rhinovirus (RV) is a common cause of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children. We aimed to characterize the clinical and demographic features associated with different RV species detected in children attending hospital with ARI, from low-income families in North-east Brazil. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from 630 children <5 years with ARI. Clinical diagnosis and disease severity were also recorded. Samples were analyzed by multiplex PCR for 18 viral and atypical bacterial pathogens; RV positive samples underwent partial sequencing to determine species and type. RV was the fourth commonest pathogen accounting for 18.7% of pathogens detected. RV was commonly detected in children with bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and asthma/episodic viral wheeze (EVW). Species and type were assigned in 112 cases (73% RV-A; 27% RV-C; 0% RV-B). Generally, there were no differences in clinical or demographic characteristics between those infected with RV-A and RV-C. However, in children with asthma/EVW, RV-C was detected relatively more frequently than RV-A (23% vs. 5%; P = 0.04). Our findings highlight RV as a potentially important pathogen in this setting. Generally, clinical and demographic features were similar in children in whom RV-A and C species were detected. However, RV-C was more frequently found in children with asthma/EVW than RV-A.
Subject(s)
Picornaviridae Infections/epidemiology , Picornaviridae Infections/virology , Respiratory Tract Infections/epidemiology , Respiratory Tract Infections/virology , Rhinovirus/classification , Rhinovirus/isolation & purification , Bacteria/classification , Bacteria/isolation & purification , Bacterial Infections/epidemiology , Bacterial Infections/microbiology , Bacterial Infections/pathology , Brazil/epidemiology , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Hospitals , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction , Nasopharynx/virology , Picornaviridae Infections/pathology , Prevalence , Prospective Studies , Respiratory Tract Infections/microbiology , Respiratory Tract Infections/pathology , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
We assessed the impact of the H1N1 influenza pandemic on acute respiratory infection in young children from low-income families in Brazil. Influenza (specifically H1N1) detection in acute respiratory infection quintupled during the pandemic and, during its peak, it was associated with 30% of all acute respiratory infection visits to the emergency department. H1N1 was also associated with increased risk of hospitalization and coinfection.