Impact of human coronavirus infections in otherwise healthy children who attended an emergency department.
This prospective clinical and virological study of 2,060 otherwise healthy children aged <15 years of age (1,112 males; mean age +/- SD, 3.46 +/- 3.30 years) who attended the Emergency Department of Milan University's Institute of Pediatrics because of an acute disease excluding trauma during the winter season 2003-2004 was designed to compare the prevalence and clinical importance of human coronaviruses (HCoVs) in children. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in nasopharyngeal aspirates revealed HCoV infection in 79 cases (3.8%): 33 HCoV-229E (1.6%), 13 HCoV-NL63 (0.6%), 11 HCoV-OC43 (0.5%), none HCoV-HKU1 genotype A, and 22 (1.1%) co-detections of a HCoV and another respiratory virus. The HCoVs were identified mainly in children with upper respiratory tract infection; there was no significant difference in clinical presentation between single HCoV infections and HCoV co-infections. Diagnostic methods were used in a limited number of patients, and the therapy prescribed and clinical outcomes were similar regardless of the viral strain. There were a few cases of other members of the households of HCoV-positive children falling ill during the 5-7 days following enrollment. These findings suggest that HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43 have a limited clinical and socioeconomic impact on otherwise healthy children and their household contacts, and the HCoV-NL63 identified recently does not seem to be any different. The quantitative and qualitative role of HCoV-HKU1 genotype A is apparently very marginal.
Esposito
Susanna
S
Institute of Pediatrics, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS "Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena", Milan, Italy.
Bosis
Samantha
S
Niesters
Hubert G M
HG
Tremolati
Elena
E
Begliatti
Enrica
E
Rognoni
Alessandro
A
Tagliabue
Claudia
C
Principi
Nicola
N
Osterhaus
Albert D M E
AD
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D028941:Coronavirus 229E, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D028962:Coronavirus OC43, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics; D015995:Prevalence; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology