The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2011 , Vol 53 , Num 5
Viral Etiology in Hospitalized Children with Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection
1Department of Pediatrics, Bakırköy Maternity and Children’s Hospital, and Departments of 2Pediatrics, 3Microbiology,
and 4Pediatric Radiology, İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, and 5Department of Pediatrics, Konya
Training and Research Hospital, Konya, Turkey
This study was performed to investigate the viral etiological agents, age
distribution and clinical manifestations of lower respiratory tract infection
(LRTI) in hospitalized children. The viral etiology and clinical findings in
147 children (1 month to 5 years of age) hospitalized with acute LRTI were
evaluated. Cell culture was used for isolation of influenza viruses and direct
fluorescent antibody assay for parainfluenza viruses (PIVs), respiratory syncytial
virus (RSV) and adenoviruses (ADVs). Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain
reaction was employed for human metapneumovirus (hMPV). One hundred
and six of all patients (72.1%) were male, and 116 children (79.8%) were
≤2 years. A viral etiology was detected in 54 patients (36.7%). RSV was the
most frequently isolated (30 patients, 55.6%), and PIV (27.8%), hMPV (13%),
influenza-A (9.3%), and ADV (5.6%) were also shown. Dual infection was
detected in six patients. There were no statistically significant differences
between the two groups (with isolated virus or no known viral etiology) with
respect to symptoms, clinical findings, laboratory work-up, or radiological data.
Length of hospital stay was also not different. Determination of the etiology
of acute LRTI in children less than 5 years of age seems impossible without
performing virological work-up, whether viral or nonviral in origin.
Keywords :
bronchiolitis, metapneumovirus, pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus,
respiratory viruses.