Viral etiology of frequently recurring respiratory tract infections in children.
The viral etiology of frequently recurring respiratory tract infection (FRRI) in children aged <2 years was studied. Altogether, 329 children were followed from 2 to 24 months of age in the Finnish Otitis Media Cohort Study. Children with FRRI were defined as having > or =9 episodes of upper respiratory tract infection (URI) and/or > or =4 episodes of acute otitis media during follow-up. Nasopharyngeal aspirates, middle ear fluid specimens, and serum samples were analyzed for 8 common respiratory viruses. Of 1358 URI episodes, 642 (47%) occurred in the 78 children with FRRI. At least 1 virus was associated with 62% of these episodes, whereas the corresponding figure for children without FRRIs was 54%. The frequency of different viruses was similar in both groups, but the relative proportion of rhinovirus infections was slightly higher among children with FRRI. In conclusion, a specific viral etiology does not explain the excess of URI episodes in children with FRRI.
Nokso-Koivisto
Johanna
J
Department of Microbiology, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. johanna.nokso-koivisto@ktl.fi
Pitkäranta
Anne
A
Blomqvist
Soile
S
Jokinen
Jukka
J
Kleemola
Marjaana
M
Takala
Aino
A
Kilpi
Terhi
T
Hovi
Tapani
T
D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000821:virology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*