Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Apr 10:9:78.
doi: 10.1186/1743-422X-9-78.

Respiratory viruses in children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory tract infection in Ghana

Theophilus B Kwofie  1 , Yaw A Anane, Bernard Nkrumah, Augustina Annan, Samuel B Nguah, Michael Owusu
Affiliations

Respiratory viruses in children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory tract infection in Ghana

Theophilus B Kwofie et al. Virol J. .

Abstract

Background: Acute respiratory tract infections are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among young children in developing countries. Information on the viral aetiology of acute respiratory infections in developing countries is very limited. The study was done to identify viruses associated with acute lower respiratory tract infection among children less than 5 years.

Method: Nasopharyngeal samples and blood cultures were collected from children less than 5 years who have been hospitalized for acute lower respiratory tract infection. Viruses and bacteria were identified using Reverse Transcriptase Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and conventional biochemical techniques.

Results: Out of 128 patients recruited, 33(25.88%%, 95%CI: 18.5% to 34.2%) were positive for one or more viruses. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) was detected in 18(14.1%, 95%CI: 8.5% to 21.3%) patients followed by Adenoviruses (AdV) in 13(10.2%, 95%CI: 5.5% to 16.7%), Parainfluenza (PIV type: 1, 2, 3) in 4(3.1%, 95%CI: 0.9% to 7.8%) and influenza B viruses in 1(0.8%, 95%CI: 0.0 to 4.3). Concomitant viral and bacterial co-infection occurred in two patients. There were no detectable significant differences in the clinical signs, symptoms and severity for the various pathogens isolated. A total of 61.1% (22/36) of positive viruses were detected during the rainy season and Respiratory Syncytial Virus was the most predominant.

Conclusion: The study has demonstrated an important burden of respiratory viruses as major causes of childhood acute respiratory infection in a tertiary health institution in Ghana. The data addresses a need for more studies on viral associated respiratory tract infection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Monthly distribution of viruses. The figure describes the various viruses identified from January to December 2008. RSV: Respiratory Syncytial Viruses; Inf A: Influenza A virus; Inf B: Influenza B virus; PARA 1: Parainfluenza type 1 virus; PARA II: Parainfluenza type 2 virus; PARA III: Parainfluenza type 3 virus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Denny FW, Loda FA. Acute respiratory infections are the leading cause of death in children in developing countries. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1986;35(1):1–2. - PubMed
    1. Williams BG, Gouws E, Boschi-Pinto C, Bryce J, Dye C. Estimates of world-wide distribution of child deaths from acute respiratory infections. Lancet Infect Dis. 2002;2(1):25–32. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(01)00170-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organisation. Burden of disease in DALYs by sex and mortality stratum in WHO regions, estimates for 2001. The world health report. 2002. pp. 192–197.
    1. Black RE, Cousens S, Johnson HL, Lawn JE, Rudan I, Bassani DG, Jha P, Campbell H, Walker CF, Cibulskis R. et al.Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality in 2008: a systematic analysis. Lancet. 2010;375(9730):1969–1987. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60549-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Meerhoff TJ, Mosnier A, Schellevis F, Paget WJ. EISS RSV Task Group. Progress in the surveillance of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Europe: 2001-2008. Euro Surveill. 2009;14(40) pii = 19346. - PubMed

Publication types