Viral and atypical bacterial infection in young children hospitalized due to acute lower respiratory tract infection in Southern Thailand

Abstract

Background: The etiology of acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALTI) in Thailand is not well established. Aims: This study aims to determine the prevalence of viral and atypical bacterial infections in young children hospitalized due to ALTI. Settings and Design: This was a retrospective study. Subjects and Methods: Eighty-two leftover nasopharyngeal specimens obtained from children with ALTI admitted from May to October 2017 in Songklanagarind Hospital were analyzed. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction and the bead hybridization method (NxTAG® Respiratory Pathogen Panel) were used to detect 18 instances of respiratory virus and atypical bacteria. The clinical data for the children were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed from the medical records. Results: From a total of 82 ALTI patients, 60% were male. The median (interquartile range) age was 14.8 (8.0–38.1) months. Seventy-six percent of the patients were positive for at least one viral pathogen. The three most identified pathogens were respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) B (39.0%), RSV A (20.7%), and hRV (12.2%), while atypical bacteria were not found. Patients with RSV infection had significantly higher fever on admission (P < 0.01) and a longer duration of fever (log-rank P < 0.001) compared to the non-RSV group. Conclusions: Viral pathogens were detected in 76% of the children hospitalized due to ALTI. Further, 79% were positive for RSV with significantly high-grade fever.