Incidence and Clinical Course of Respiratory Viral Coinfections in Children Aged 0-59 Months

Abstract

Clinical data available on coinfections are contradictory concerning both the number of viruses involved and the severity of the condition. A total of 114 patients aged 0-59 months with symptoms of respiratory tract infection were enrolled into the study. Nasal and pharyngeal swabs were tested using the PCR method for the following 12 viruses: influenza A, influenza B, respiratory syncytial virus A (RSV A), respiratory syncytial virus B (RSV B), adenovirus, metapneumovirus, coronavirus 229E/NL63 (hCoV229), coronavirus OC43 (hCoVOC43), parainfluenza virus 1 (PIV-1), parainfluenza virus 2 (PIV-2), parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV-3), and rhinovirus A/B. Coinfections were detected in nine (8 %) patients. Five of the coinfections were related to influenza A (H3N2) virus associated with the following other, single or combined, respiratory viruses: influenza B in one case, hCoV229 in two cases, hCoV229, RSV A, and PIV-2 in one case, and PIV-1, PIV-2, RSV A, RSV B, and adenovirus in one case. The other four coinfections were caused by: adenovirus and hCoVOC43, adenovirus, and rhinovirus, RSV A and PIV-1, influenza B, and RSV B. We did not observe any significant differences in the clinical course of infections caused either by a single or multiple viral factors.

Keywords: Children; Coinfection; Etiology; Pathogenesis of infection; Respiratory tract disease; Virus.

Fig. 1

PCR results for simultaneous infections with six respiratory viruses: influenza A (Flu A), parainfluenza 2 (PIV-1), parainfluenza 1 (PIV-2), respiratory syncytial virus A (RSV A), respiratory syncytial virus B (RSV B), and adenovirus (ADV)