Epidemiological characteristics of six common respiratory pathogen infections in children
ABSTRACT Respiratory infections are among the leading causes of hospitalization and death among children worldwide. Traditional diagnostic methods lack the sensitivity and timeliness needed for early clinical diagnosis and treatment. This retrospective study analyzed respiratory pathogen results of...
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| Language: | English |
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American Society for Microbiology
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Microbiology Spectrum |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.00079-25 |
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| author | Zheng Tang Huihui Fan Yaling Tian Qingsong Lv |
| author_facet | Zheng Tang Huihui Fan Yaling Tian Qingsong Lv |
| author_sort | Zheng Tang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Respiratory infections are among the leading causes of hospitalization and death among children worldwide. Traditional diagnostic methods lack the sensitivity and timeliness needed for early clinical diagnosis and treatment. This retrospective study analyzed respiratory pathogen results of 15,397 pediatric patients at Yongzhou Central Hospital between June 2023 and May 2024, with emphasis on age-specific and seasonal variations. Pathogens detected included influenza A (FluA), influenza B (FluB), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), human rhinovirus (HRV), and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP). The overall positivity rate was 77.0%. Single respiratory pathogen infections were detected in 52.0% of cases, while 25.0% had mixed infections. HRV exhibited the highest positivity rate (32.4%), followed by MP (20.9%), ADV (19.2%), RSV (14.1%), FluA (11.5%), and FluB (8.3%). Infection rates for FluA, FluB, and MP increased with age, peaking at 82.8% in school-aged children. RSV detection was the highest in infants (27.2%). ADV was most common in the preschool group (26.2%). Infection rate was the highest in winter (82.1%), followed by that in spring (76.7%). FLuA and FluB had a peak in winter. MP infections surged in summer (32.4%), and HRV is common in four seasons, with its prevalence peaking in spring and autumn. The incidence of respiratory pathogen infections among children varied according to age distribution and seasonal fluctuations. The findings provide a basis for accurate diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of these infections.IMPORTANCEBy analyzing the data of 15,397 cases of respiratory tract pathogens in children, the epidemic characteristics of six common respiratory tract pathogens in children of different ages and seasons were more comprehensively understood in this region. Proactive prevention and control measures should be taken in advance for their dominant pathogens in different months, such as community- and school-based health education, based on the epidemic and pathogenic characteristics of different pathogens, along with timely diagnosis and treatment to reduce the risk of transmission. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ce308a1cd5774947bf21bc3497a3e24e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2165-0497 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microbiology Spectrum |
| spelling | doaj-art-ce308a1cd5774947bf21bc3497a3e24e2025-08-20T03:31:20ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyMicrobiology Spectrum2165-04972025-07-0113710.1128/spectrum.00079-25Epidemiological characteristics of six common respiratory pathogen infections in childrenZheng Tang0Huihui Fan1Yaling Tian2Qingsong Lv3Department of Transfusion Medicine, The Central Hospital of Yongzhou, Yongzhou, ChinaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Yongzhou, Yongzhou, ChinaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Yongzhou, Yongzhou, ChinaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Yongzhou, Yongzhou, ChinaABSTRACT Respiratory infections are among the leading causes of hospitalization and death among children worldwide. Traditional diagnostic methods lack the sensitivity and timeliness needed for early clinical diagnosis and treatment. This retrospective study analyzed respiratory pathogen results of 15,397 pediatric patients at Yongzhou Central Hospital between June 2023 and May 2024, with emphasis on age-specific and seasonal variations. Pathogens detected included influenza A (FluA), influenza B (FluB), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), human rhinovirus (HRV), and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP). The overall positivity rate was 77.0%. Single respiratory pathogen infections were detected in 52.0% of cases, while 25.0% had mixed infections. HRV exhibited the highest positivity rate (32.4%), followed by MP (20.9%), ADV (19.2%), RSV (14.1%), FluA (11.5%), and FluB (8.3%). Infection rates for FluA, FluB, and MP increased with age, peaking at 82.8% in school-aged children. RSV detection was the highest in infants (27.2%). ADV was most common in the preschool group (26.2%). Infection rate was the highest in winter (82.1%), followed by that in spring (76.7%). FLuA and FluB had a peak in winter. MP infections surged in summer (32.4%), and HRV is common in four seasons, with its prevalence peaking in spring and autumn. The incidence of respiratory pathogen infections among children varied according to age distribution and seasonal fluctuations. The findings provide a basis for accurate diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of these infections.IMPORTANCEBy analyzing the data of 15,397 cases of respiratory tract pathogens in children, the epidemic characteristics of six common respiratory tract pathogens in children of different ages and seasons were more comprehensively understood in this region. Proactive prevention and control measures should be taken in advance for their dominant pathogens in different months, such as community- and school-based health education, based on the epidemic and pathogenic characteristics of different pathogens, along with timely diagnosis and treatment to reduce the risk of transmission.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.00079-25acute respiratory infectionchildrenhuman rhinovirusMycoplasma pneumoniaeadenovirusinfluenza |
| spellingShingle | Zheng Tang Huihui Fan Yaling Tian Qingsong Lv Epidemiological characteristics of six common respiratory pathogen infections in children Microbiology Spectrum acute respiratory infection children human rhinovirus Mycoplasma pneumoniae adenovirus influenza |
| title | Epidemiological characteristics of six common respiratory pathogen infections in children |
| title_full | Epidemiological characteristics of six common respiratory pathogen infections in children |
| title_fullStr | Epidemiological characteristics of six common respiratory pathogen infections in children |
| title_full_unstemmed | Epidemiological characteristics of six common respiratory pathogen infections in children |
| title_short | Epidemiological characteristics of six common respiratory pathogen infections in children |
| title_sort | epidemiological characteristics of six common respiratory pathogen infections in children |
| topic | acute respiratory infection children human rhinovirus Mycoplasma pneumoniae adenovirus influenza |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.00079-25 |
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