Characterizing acute respiratory infections in primary care for better management of viral infections

Abstract Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the most common infections in the general population and represent an important socio-economic burden. Characterizing ARIs in primary care in patients of all ages in terms of clinical presentation, and virological results. We conducted a prospective mu...

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Main Authors: Hortense Petat, Matthieu Schuers, François Le Bas, Xavier Humbert, Andry Rabiaza, Sandrine Corbet, Astrid Vabret, Meriadeg AR Gouilh, Christophe Marguet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-06-01
Series:npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-025-00434-w
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author Hortense Petat
Matthieu Schuers
François Le Bas
Xavier Humbert
Andry Rabiaza
Sandrine Corbet
Astrid Vabret
Meriadeg AR Gouilh
Christophe Marguet
author_facet Hortense Petat
Matthieu Schuers
François Le Bas
Xavier Humbert
Andry Rabiaza
Sandrine Corbet
Astrid Vabret
Meriadeg AR Gouilh
Christophe Marguet
author_sort Hortense Petat
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the most common infections in the general population and represent an important socio-economic burden. Characterizing ARIs in primary care in patients of all ages in terms of clinical presentation, and virological results. We conducted a prospective multicenter study in primary care: 36 French general practitioners (GPs) included patients from all ages presenting with symptoms of ARI, and performed a nasopharyngeal swab, which was analyzed by Multiplex RT-PCR. 685 patients of all ages were included in the cohort. We found associations between clinical diagnosis and respiratory viruses: influenza was associated with the diagnosis of flu-like syndrome (p < 0.001), HRV with rhinitis (p < 0.05), and RSV with bronchiolitis (p < 0.001) and bronchitis (p < 0.05). Respiratory distress was associated with RSV (p = 0.002), and a cough at the inclusion was significantly not associated with the influenza virus (p = 0.009). Antibiotic prescriptions were not associated with any specific virus. By day 7, persistent cough was significantly associated with active and passive smoking (respectively p = 0.01 and p < 0.001), influenza and RSV-positive samples (p < 0.05) and an age of less than 2 years (p < 0.01). With this prospective cohort performed in primary care including patients of all ages, we characterized viral respiratory infections, to better understand correlations between clinical data and virological results.
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spelling doaj-art-412ec58f2f9c43068078ff098f96b6582025-08-20T02:31:03ZengNature Portfolionpj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine2055-10102025-06-013511610.1038/s41533-025-00434-wCharacterizing acute respiratory infections in primary care for better management of viral infectionsHortense Petat0Matthieu Schuers1François Le Bas2Xavier Humbert3Andry Rabiaza4Sandrine Corbet5Astrid Vabret6Meriadeg AR Gouilh7Christophe Marguet8Univ Rouen Normandie, Dynamicure INSERM UMR 1311, CHU Rouen, Department of paediatrics and adolescent medicineUFR Santé Rouen, Department of general practiceNormandie Univ, UNICAEN, UFR Santé, Department of general practiceNormandie Univ, UNICAEN, UFR Santé, Department of general practiceNormandie Univ, UNICAEN, UFR Santé, Department of general practiceUniv Caen Normandie, Dynamicure INSERM UMR 1311, CHU Caen, Department of virologyUniv Caen Normandie, Dynamicure INSERM UMR 1311, CHU Caen, Department of virologyUniv Caen Normandie, Dynamicure INSERM UMR 1311, CHU Caen, Department of virologyUniv Rouen Normandie, Dynamicure INSERM UMR 1311, CHU Rouen, Department of paediatrics and adolescent medicineAbstract Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the most common infections in the general population and represent an important socio-economic burden. Characterizing ARIs in primary care in patients of all ages in terms of clinical presentation, and virological results. We conducted a prospective multicenter study in primary care: 36 French general practitioners (GPs) included patients from all ages presenting with symptoms of ARI, and performed a nasopharyngeal swab, which was analyzed by Multiplex RT-PCR. 685 patients of all ages were included in the cohort. We found associations between clinical diagnosis and respiratory viruses: influenza was associated with the diagnosis of flu-like syndrome (p < 0.001), HRV with rhinitis (p < 0.05), and RSV with bronchiolitis (p < 0.001) and bronchitis (p < 0.05). Respiratory distress was associated with RSV (p = 0.002), and a cough at the inclusion was significantly not associated with the influenza virus (p = 0.009). Antibiotic prescriptions were not associated with any specific virus. By day 7, persistent cough was significantly associated with active and passive smoking (respectively p = 0.01 and p < 0.001), influenza and RSV-positive samples (p < 0.05) and an age of less than 2 years (p < 0.01). With this prospective cohort performed in primary care including patients of all ages, we characterized viral respiratory infections, to better understand correlations between clinical data and virological results.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-025-00434-w
spellingShingle Hortense Petat
Matthieu Schuers
François Le Bas
Xavier Humbert
Andry Rabiaza
Sandrine Corbet
Astrid Vabret
Meriadeg AR Gouilh
Christophe Marguet
Characterizing acute respiratory infections in primary care for better management of viral infections
npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine
title Characterizing acute respiratory infections in primary care for better management of viral infections
title_full Characterizing acute respiratory infections in primary care for better management of viral infections
title_fullStr Characterizing acute respiratory infections in primary care for better management of viral infections
title_full_unstemmed Characterizing acute respiratory infections in primary care for better management of viral infections
title_short Characterizing acute respiratory infections in primary care for better management of viral infections
title_sort characterizing acute respiratory infections in primary care for better management of viral infections
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41533-025-00434-w
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