title: Respiratory viruses and atypical bacteria triggering severe asthma exacerbation in children.
abstract: 1. Respiratory viruses and atypical bacteria were detected in 51.0% of Hong Kong children with asthma exacerbations, which was significantly higher than the detection rate of 27.3% in children with chronic stable asthma. 2. Co-infections of two or more respiratory pathogens were more commonly found in children with asthma exacerbations (10.7%) than in patients with stable asthma (2.6%). 3. Human rhinovirus infection was a significant risk factor for asthma exacerbations. 4. There was no significant association between the severity of asthma exacerbations and respiratory viral or atypical bacterial infections. 5. Routine use of macrolide antibiotics in the treatment of childhood asthma exacerbations should be discouraged.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Prince of Wales Hospital, 30-32 Ngan Shing Street, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China. tfleung@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: P K S
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: G W K
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Fok
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001295:Atypical Bacterial Forms / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018942:Macrolides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D010850:Picornaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D012229:Rhinovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018942:Macrolides