title: Incidence of respiratory viruses in Peruvian children with acute respiratory infections.
abstract: Acute respiratory infections are responsible for high morbi-mortality in Peruvian children. However, the etiological agents are poorly identified. This study, conducted during the pandemic outbreak of H1N1 influenza in 2009, aims to determine the main etiological agents responsible for acute respiratory infections in children from Lima, Peru. Nasopharyngeal swabs collected from 717 children with acute respiratory infections between January 2009 and December 2010 were analyzed by multiplex RT-PCR for 13 respiratory viruses: influenza A, B, and C virus; parainfluenza virus (PIV) 1, 2, 3, and 4; and human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A and B, among others. Samples were also tested with direct fluorescent-antibodies (DFA) for six respiratory viruses. RT-PCR and DFA detected respiratory viruses in 240 (33.5%) and 85 (11.9%) cases, respectively. The most common etiological agents were RSV-A (15.3%), followed by influenza A (4.6%), PIV-1 (3.6%), and PIV-2 (1.8%). The viruses identified by DFA corresponded to RSV (5.9%) and influenza A (1.8%). Therefore, respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV) were found to be the most common etiology of acute respiratory infections. The authors suggest that active surveillance be conducted to identify the causative agents and improve clinical management, especially in the context of possible circulation of pandemic viruses.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas-UPC, Lima, Perú; Nutrition Research Institute, Lima, Perú
authors.forename: Juana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: del Valle Mendoza
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cornejo-Tapia
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weilg
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verne
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nazario-Fuertes
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ugarte
authors.forename: Luis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: del Valle
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pumarola
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D019085:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000821:virology; D010222:Parainfluenza Virus 1, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010223:Parainfluenza Virus 2, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D018113:Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D010253:Respirovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D019351:Rubulavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: acute respiratory infections; influenza viruses; respiratory infection; respiratory syncytial viruses; respiratory viruses; virus detection