Detection of viruses and atypical bacteria associated with acute respiratory infection of children in <scp>H</scp>ubei, <scp>C</scp>hina

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background and objective</jats:title><jats:p>Acute respiratory infection is the major cause of disease and death in children, particularly in developing countries. However, the spectrum of pathogenic viruses and atypical bacteria that exist in many of these countries remains incompletely characterized. The aim of this study was to examine the spectrum of pathogenic viruses and atypical bacteria associated with acute respiratory infection in children under the age of 16.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>A total of 10 435 serum sera specimens were collected from hospitalized children presenting with acute respiratory infection symptoms. Indirect immunofluorescence assays were performed to detect immunoglobulin <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">M</jats:styled-content> antibodies against nine common pathogens: mycoplasma pneumonia, influenza virus <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">B</jats:styled-content>, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, influenza virus <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">A</jats:styled-content>, legionella pneumophila, coxiella burnetii and chamydophila pneumonia.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>Of the 10 435 specimens examined, 7046 tested positive for at least one pathogen. Among all of the tested pathogens, mycoplasma pneumonia had the highest detection rate (56.9%). Influenza virus <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">A</jats:styled-content> and influenza virus <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">B</jats:styled-content> epidemics occurred during both winter and summer. The detection rate of respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus was higher in spring. Cases of mixed infection were more complex: 4136 specimens (39.6%) tested positive for ≥2 pathogens. There were statistically significant difference in detection rates of mycoplasma pneumonia, influenza virus <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">B</jats:styled-content>, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, influenza virus <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">A</jats:styled-content>, legionella pneumophila and chamydophila pneumonia among different age groups (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> < 0.05).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions</jats:title><jats:p>The most common pathogens causing acute respiratory infection among children in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">H</jats:styled-content>ubei of <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">C</jats:styled-content>hina were mycoplasma pneumonia, influenza virus <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">B</jats:styled-content> and respiratory syncytial virus. The detection rates for each pathogen displayed specific seasonal and age group variations.</jats:p></jats:sec>