Respiratory viruses in acute respiratory tract infections in Western India.
OBJECTIVE
To study the circulation pattern of respiratory viruses in out patients department (OPD) and hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infection.


METHODS
Nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from 385 children with acute respiratory tract infections attending the OPD (n=199, 51.7%) and admitted to pediatric ward (n=186, 43.2%). Specimens were screened for seven respiratory viruses by immunofluoresence test (IFT) using Respiratory panel 1 screening and identification kit.


RESULTS
Viral antigens were detected in 57 (28.6%) and 86 (46.2%) patients from OPD and admitted cases respectively, giving an overall positivity of 143 (37.1%) for respiratory viruses. Of the six respiratory viruses, the most common was respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 100 (26%) patients, followed by influenza viruses in 21 (5.4%), parainfluenza in 8 (2.07%), adenovirus in 3 (0.8%). One patient had mixed infection of RSV and adenovirus. RSV was most frequently detected in the hospitalized children (39.8%).


CONCLUSIONS
RSV appeared to be the most common respiratory viral infection in the age group 0-1 year causing hospitalization.
National Institute of Virology, Pune, India.
Leena Ravindra
LR
Yeolekar
Rekha Gangadhar
RG
Damle
Aarti Nilesh
AN
Kamat
Madhukar Ramchandra
MR
Khude
Vijay
V
Simha
Anand Neelkanth
AN
Pandit
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution