Unrecognized viral respiratory tract infections in premature infants during their birth hospitalization: a prospective surveillance study in two neonatal intensive care units.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency and effects of nosocomial respiratory viral infections (RVIs) in premature neonates, including those who may be asymptomatic.


METHODS
We performed a year-long surveillance for RVIs in infants <33 weeks gestational age admitted to 2 Syracuse neonatal intensive care units. Infants were enrolled within 3 days of neonatal intensive care unit admission and were sampled for RVIs until discharge using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay capable of detecting 17 different respiratory viruses or subtypes.


RESULTS
Twenty-six of 50 prematurely born infants (52%) tested positive for a respiratory virus at least once during their birth hospitalization. Testing positive for a respiratory virus was significantly associated with longer length of stay (70 days vs 35 days, P = .002) and prolonged ventilatory support (51 vs 13 days, P = .002). Infants who tested positive for a respiratory virus during their birth hospitalization had more than twice the rate of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Nosocomial RVIs were frequent in our study population, despite the absence of clinical indicators of illness. Length of hospital stay was significantly longer and a diagnosis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was more common in infants who had respiratory viruses detected.
Department of Pediatrics, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital, Syracuse, NY, USA. njb35@cantab.net
Nicholas J
NJ
Bennett
Christy M
CM
Tabarani
Nadine M
NM
Bartholoma
Dongliang
D
Wang
Danning
D
Huang
Scott W
SW
Riddell
Deanna L
DL
Kiska
Robert
R
Hingre
Helene F
HF
Rosenberg
Joseph B
JB
Domachowske
D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000378:metabolism; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D018108:Respirovirus / Q000378:metabolism; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*