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. 2024 Aug 20;13(8):704.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens13080704.

Seasonal Patterns of Common Respiratory Viral Infections in Immunocompetent and Immunosuppressed Patients

Fotis Theodoropoulos  1 , Anika Hüsing  2 , Ulf Dittmer  3 , Karl-Heinz Jöckel  2   4 , Christian Taube  1 , Olympia E Anastasiou  3
Affiliations

Seasonal Patterns of Common Respiratory Viral Infections in Immunocompetent and Immunosuppressed Patients

Fotis Theodoropoulos et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

Introduction: Several respiratory viruses have been shown to have seasonal patterns. The aim of our study was to evaluate and compare these patterns in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients for five different respiratory viruses.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of results for 13,591 respiratory tract samples for human metapneumovirus (HMPV), influenza virus, parainfluenza virus (PIV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients. A seasonal pattern was aligned to the data of immunocompetent patients through a logistic regression model of positive and negative test results.

Results: A narrow seasonal pattern (January to March) was documented for HMPV. Most RSV infections were detected in the winter and early spring months, from December to March, but occasional cases of RSV could be found throughout the year. The peak season for PIV-3 was during the summer months, and that for PIV-4 was mostly in autumn. A narrow seasonal pattern emerged for influenza virus as most infections were detected in the winter, in January and February. The seasonal patterns of HMPV, RSV, PIV, and influenza virus were similar for both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients.

Conclusions: We found no difference in the seasonality of HMPV, RSV, PIV, and influenza virus infections between immunosuppressed and immunocompetent hosts.

Keywords: HMPV; PIV; RSV; immunocompromised; influenza; seasonality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. OEA wishes to declare that she is currently working for the company Pfizer Hellas S.A. and that the content of the publication does not reflect Pfizer’s position. The study was planned and executed prior to her employment in the company.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
HMPV incidence rates: seasonal curve estimated for immunocompetent patients (A) and applied to immunosuppressed patients (B).
Figure 2
Figure 2
RSV incidence rates: seasonal curve estimated in immunocompetent patients (A) and applied to immunosuppressed patients (B).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Parainfluenza virus (PIV) 3 incidence rates: seasonal curve estimated in immunocompetent patients (A) and applied to immunosuppressed patients (B).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Parainfluenza virus (PIV) 4 incidence rates: seasonal curve estimated in immunocompetent patients (A) and applied to immunosuppressed patients (B).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Influenza virus type A incidence rates: seasonal curve estimated in immunocompetent patients (A) and applied to immunosuppressed patients (B).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Influenza virus type B incidence rates: seasonal curve estimated in immunocompetent patients (A) and applied to immunosuppressed patients (B).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Comparing effects of seasonal patterns as optimized among immunocompetent patients in immunosuppressed patients (shaded). The seasonal calendarial pattern was optimized for logistic regression analysis to beta-coefficient = 1, corresponding to OR = exp(1) = 2.72 (reference line). HMPV: human metapneumovirus; RSV: respiratory syncytial virus; PIV: parainfluenza virus; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval.
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