The Impact of COVID-19 Public Health Measures on Detection of Other Respiratory Viruses in Children during the Winter of 2020–2021 in Hangzhou, China

Wen-qing Xiang; Lin Li; Ya-jun Guo; Jian Lin; Wei Li

doi:10.1055/s-0042-1756712

Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Table of Contents

J Pediatr Infect Dis 2022; 17(05): 248-251
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1756712

Original Article

The Impact of COVID-19 Public Health Measures on Detection of Other Respiratory Viruses in Children during the Winter of 2020–2021 in Hangzhou, China

Wen-qing Xiang

¹Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Children's Hospital, National Clinical Research Center For Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, P.R. China

,

Lin Li

¹Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Children's Hospital, National Clinical Research Center For Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, P.R. China

,

Ya-jun Guo

¹Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Children's Hospital, National Clinical Research Center For Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, P.R. China

,

Jian Lin

¹Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Children's Hospital, National Clinical Research Center For Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, P.R. China

,

Wei Li

¹Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Children's Hospital, National Clinical Research Center For Child Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, P.R. China

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Objective Acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) is one of the main diseases in childhood. This study aimed to monitor the distribution of respiratory tract viruses in children with ARTI in the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods We conducted surveillance of 2019 novel coronavirus, human metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, human adenovirus, human parainfluenza virus 1–3, and influenza A and B virus by using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results During the winter of 2020 to 2021, among the 1,442 throat swabs we collected, 937 (64.98%, 937/1,442) were positive for respiratory viruses. Respiratory syncytial virus was the most frequently detected respiratory virus (34.12%, 492/1,442) and 2019 novel coronavirus and influenza A and B virus were not detected in the study period. Coinfection was observed in 156 positive samples including 149 samples of double infection and 7 of triple infection. The positive rate of viral respiratory tract infection in infants less than 6 months was the highest (72.95%) in the study period.

Conclusion There are some differences in the distribution of respiratory viruses in children after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Hangzhou, China.

Keywords

acute respiratory infection - virus - children - COVID-19

Full Text

References

References
1 Schuster Bruce C, Hoare C, Mukherjee A, Paul SP. Managing acute respiratory tract infections in children. Br J Nurs 2017; 26 (11) 602-609
2 Huo X, Qin Y, Qi X. et al. Surveillance of 16 respiratory viruses in patients with influenza-like illness in Nanjing, China. J Med Virol 2012; 84 (12) 1980-1984
3 Shapiro D, Bodinayake CK, Nagahawatte A. et al. Burden and seasonality of viral acute respiratory tract infections among outpatients in Southern Sri Lanka. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2017; 97 (01) 88-96
4 Fieldhouse JK, Toh TH, Lim WH. et al. Surveillance for respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza virus among patients hospitalized with pneumonia in Sarawak, Malaysia. PLoS One 2018; 13 (08) e0202147
5 Peteranderl C, Herold S, Schmoldt C. Human influenza virus infections. Semin Respir Crit Care Med 2016; 37 (04) 487-500
6 Seto D, Chodosh J, Brister JR, Jones MS. Members of the Adenovirus Research Community. Using the whole-genome sequence to characterize and name human adenoviruses. J Virol 2011; 85 (11) 5701-5702
7 Tabain I, Ljubin-Sternak S, Cepin-Bogović J, Markovinović L, Knezović I, Mlinarić-Galinović G. Adenovirus respiratory infections in hospitalized children: clinical findings in relation to species and serotypes. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2012; 31 (07) 680-684
8 Pan A, Liu L, Wang C. et al. Association of public health interventions with the epidemiology of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. JAMA 2020; 323 (19) 1915-1923
9 Li H, Yu G, Duan H, Fu J, Shu Q. Changes in children's healthcare visits during coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic in Hangzhou, China. J Pediatr 2020; 224: 146-149
10 Zhu Y, Li W, Yang B. et al. Epidemiological and virological characteristics of respiratory tract infections in children during COVID-19 outbreak. BMC Pediatr 2021; 21 (01) 195
11 Li W, Liu L, Chen L, Shang S. Evaluation of a commercial colloidal gold assay for detection of influenza A and B virus in children's respiratory specimens. Fetal Pediatr Pathol 2020; 39 (02) 93-98
12 Yeoh DK, Foley DA, Minney-Smith CA. et al. Impact of coronavirus disease 2019 public health measures on detections of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in children during the 2020 Australian Winter. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 72 (12) 2199-2202
13 Chen J, Zhang L, Wu S. Epidemiological characteristics of common respiratory viruses in children during the COVID-19 epidemic [in Chinese]. Clin Educ General Pract 2020; 9: 820-822
14 Zhu G, Xu D, Zhang Y. et al. Epidemiological characteristics of four common respiratory viral infections in children. Virol J 2021; 18 (01) 10
15 Kou Y, Pan J, Yu X. et al. Molecular epidemiology of human metapneumovirus in children with respiratory tract infection in Hangzhou [in Chinese]. Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi 2014; 35 (12) 1384-1388
16 Wen S, Yu M, Zheng G. et al. Changes in the etiology of viral lower respiratory tract infections in hospitalized children in Wenzhou, China: 2008-2017. J Med Virol 2020; 92 (08) 982-987