title: Viral etiology and clinical profiles of children with severe acute respiratory infections in China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  No comprehensive analysis is available on the viral etiology and clinical characterization among children with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) in China during 2009 H1N1 pandemic and post-pandemic period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort of 370 hospitalized children (1 to 72 months) with SARI from May 2008 to March 2010 was enrolled in this study. Nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) specimens were tested by a commercial assay for 18 respiratory viral targets. The viral distribution and its association with clinical character were statistically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Viral pathogen was detected in 350 (94.29%) of children with SARI. Overall, the most popular viruses were: enterovirus/rhinovirus (EV/RV) (54.05%), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (51.08%), human bocavirus (BoCA) (33.78%), human parainfluenzaviruse type 3 (PIV3) (15.41%), and adenovirus (ADV) (12.97%). Pandemic H1N1 was the dominant influenza virus (IFV) but was only detected in 20 (5.41%) of children. Moreover, detection rate of RSV and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) among suburb participants were significantly higher than that of urban area (P<0.05). Incidence of VSARI among suburb participants was also significant higher, especially among those of 24 to 59 months group (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Piconaviruses (EV/RV) and paramyxoviruses are the most popular viral pathogens among children with SARI in this study. RSV and hMPV significantly increase the risk of SARI, especially in children younger than 24 months. Higher incidence of VSARI and more susceptibilities to RSV and hMPV infections were found in suburban patients.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Ministry of Health, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Zhengde
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Roujian
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Chunyan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xuejun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Wenjie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000821:virology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology*; D012621:Seasons; D012720:Severity of Illness Index