ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Pediatrica 2020 February;72(1):45-54

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4946.16.04322-X

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

An investigation into respiratory tract viruses in children with acute lower respiratory tract infection or wheezing

Demet DABANİYASTİ ¹, Fahriye EKSİ ¹ ✉, Özlem KESKİN ², Mehmet Y. ÖZKARS ², Tekin KARSLİGİL ¹, Iclal BALCİ ¹

¹ Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey; ² Unit of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the frequencies of respiratory tract viruses in patient (acute lower respiratory tract infection [LRTI] or wheezing) and control (history of asthma without symptoms) groups.
METHODS: Using multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respiratory tract viruses were investigated in the respiratory tract specimens from patient and control groups followed in the Pediatric Clinic.
RESULTS: The viruses detected in the patient and control groups (P=0.013) were as follows, respectively: rhinoviruses A, B, C (25.6% and 36.7%), influenza virus A (21.1% and 0.0%), parainfluenza virus type 1 (7.8% and 1.7%), parainfluenza virus type 4 (5.6% and 0.0%), adenoviruses A, B, C, D, E (4.4% and 1.7%), parainfluenza virus type 3 (4.4% and 1.7%), coronaviruses 229E and NL63 (4.4% and 1.7%), coronavirus OC43 (3.3% and 0.0%), respiratory syncytial virus A (3.3% and 0.0%), parainfluenza virus type 2 (2.2% and 0.0%), influenza virus B (2.2% and 0.0%), and respiratory syncytial virus B (1.1% and 1.7%). No bocavirus, metapneumovirus or enterovirus was found in any specimen. Statistically significant differences in the detection of influenza virus A (P=0.000), the total detection of parainfluenza viruses (P=0.008) and coinfection (P=0.004) were observed between the patient and control groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The advantage of our study compared with other studies is the inclusion of not only wheezing patients but also children with asthma without symptom. The higher detection of rhinoviruses both in patient and control groups give rise to thought that these viruses may be responsible for asthma exacerbations and may be related with long duration of virus shedding.

KEY WORDS: Respiratory tract infections; Respiratory sounds; Multiplex polymerase chain reaction; Viruses