title: Ten year retrospective evaluation of the seasonal distribution of agent viruses in childhood respiratory tract infections.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Infections caused by respiratory viruses sometimes occur as epidemias or pandemias and are an important public health problem in the whole world. These viral agents may lead to severe respiratory diseases especially in young children and in the elderly. The aim of this study was to determine the seasonal distribution of agent viruses in childhood respiratory infections in our region.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, nasopharyngeal swab sample was obtained from 1 326 patients who presented to Ege University, Medical Faculty Children's Hospital between 2002 and 2012 and who were thought to have respiratory tract infection. Influenza virus type A and B, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus and parainfluenza virus type 1-3 were investigated using shell-vial cell culture method and direct fluorescent antibody test and/or multiplex PCR test. Parainfluenza virus type 4, human metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, coronavirus, human bocavirus were investigated using multiplex PCR test. The seasonal distributions of the viruses were determined according to the results obtained from Ege University Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology Clinical Virology Laboratory. Approval was obtained from the ethics committee (Ege University Clinical Researches Ethics Committee, 12.02.2013, number: 13-1/46).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of the patients who presented were outpatients (n:888, 67%) and the remainder were hospitalized patients (33%, n:438). Respiratory viruses were found in 503 of the nasopharyngeal swab samples (38%). Parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus were found most frequently in December-february (58% and 59%, respectively, influenza viruses were found most frequently in November-december (72%) and adenoviruses were found most frequently in may-september (56%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although only supportive therapies are administered generally in viral infections, viral investigations are important in terms of determining the measures to be taken by determining the causes as well as in terms of establishing a general database. Another benefit of this study would be strengthening clinical approach to patients and decreasing unnecessary antibiotic use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Allergy and Chest Diseases, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Figen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gülen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Başak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yıldız
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Candan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Çiçek
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Allergy and Chest Diseases, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Esen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Allergy and Chest Diseases, Ege University Faculty of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Remziye
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tanaç
keywords: Child; respiratory tract viruses; seasonal distribution