Clinical features and viral etiology of acute respiratory infection in an outpatient fever clinic during COVID‐19 pandemic in a tertiary hospital in Nanjing, China

Abstract

Background Clinical feature and viral etiology for acute respiratory infection (ARI) in the community was unknown during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Objective In a retrospective study, we aimed to characterize the clinical feature and etiology for the ARI patients admitted to the outpatient fever clinic in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between November 2020 and March 2021. Methods Fifteen common respiratory pathogens were tested using pharyngeal swabs by multiplex reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction assays. Results Of the 242 patients, 56 (23%) were tested positive for at least one viral agent. The predominant viruses included human rhinovirus (HRV) (5.4%), parainfluenza virus type III (PIV‐III) (5.0%), and human coronavirus‐NL63 (HCoV‐NL63) (3.7%). Cough, sputum, nasal obstruction, and rhinorrhea were the most prevalent symptoms in patients with viral infection. Elderly and the patients with underlying diseases were susceptible to pneumonia accompanied with sputum and chest oppression. Three (5.4%) patients in virus infection group, whereas 31 (16.7%) in non‐viral infection group (p = 0.033), were empirically prescribed with antiviral agents. Among 149 patients who received antibiotic therapy, 30 (20.1%) patients were later identified with viral infection. Conclusion Our study indicated the importance of accurate diagnosis of ARI, especially during the COVID‐19 pandemic, which might facilitate appropriate clinical treatment.

Epidemiology of respiratory pathogens in patients with acute respiratory tract infection in Xiamen, China: A retrospective survey from 2020 to 2022

“…Different from the infection that predominant by influenza, RVs as the most active pathogens in our study. Compared with the prevalence before COVID-19 epidemic, an increased prevalence of RVs was observed, which indicated not all pathogens were restricted by positive prevention [ 22 ]. It is suggested that the suitable strategies should be selectively used to treat specific pathogens under the background of COVID-19 pandemic.…”