Multicentered study of viral acute lower respiratory infections in children from four cities of Argentina, 1993–1994

✍ Scribed by Guadalupe Carballal; Cristina M. Videla; M. Alejandra Espinosa; Vilma Savy; Osvaldo Uez; María D. Sequeira; Violeta Knez; Paula V. Requeijo; Clara Riva Posse; Isabel Miceli

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 141 KB
• Volume: 64
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.1032

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

This study describes the first multicentered study of acute lower respiratory infection viral etiology in young children from four different geographical areas of Argentina. A total of 1,278 children under 5 years of age, hospitalized in primary care centers from Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Santa Fé and Mar del Plata cities during a 2‐year period were studied (1993–1994). Nasopharyngeal aspirates were investigated for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus, parainfluenza, and influenza A and B viruses by indirect immunofluorescence. Out of the patients studied, 946 (74%) were under 1 year of age. Viruses were detected in 399 patients (32%). RSV was observed in 25.3% of the samples, representing 78.2% of all viral positive cases. Adenoviruses were detected in 2.5% of the cases, parainfluenza in 2.2%, influenza A in 2.1%, and influenza B in 0.2%. Compared with other viruses, the higher RSV frequency was statistically significant (P < 0.000). Most RSV cases were detected between May and September with a significant peak in July (P < 0.000). Pneumonia was observed in 46% of the patients, bronchiolitis in 41% and other entities in 13%. The case fatality rate observed during the 2 year study was 0.73%. Most of the above respiratory viruses were detected in the four cities, however, the frequency of RSV and influenza were different in the southern city. J. Med. Virol. 64:167–174, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.