Molecular detection of respiratory pathogens among children aged younger than 5 years hospitalized with febrile acute respiratory infections: A prospective hospital‐based observational study in Niamey, Niger

Abstract

Background and Aims:In Niger, acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are the second most common cause of death in children aged younger than 5 years. However, the etiology of ARI is poorly understood in the country. This study aims to describe viral and bacterial infections among children aged younger than 5 years hospitalized with febrile ARI at two hospitals in Niamey, Niger's capital city, and the reported clinical procedures. Methods:We conducted a prospective study among children aged younger than 5 years hospitalized with febrile ARI at two national hospitals in Niamey between January and December 2015. Clinical presentation and procedures during admission were documented using a standardized case investigation form. Nasopharyngeal specimens collected from each patient were tested for a panel of respiratory viruses and bacteria using the Fast Track Diagnostic 21 Plus kit.Results: We enrolled and tested 638 children aged younger than 5 years, of whom 411 (64.4%) were aged younger than 1 year, and 15 (2.4%) died during the study period. Overall, 496/638 (77.7%) specimens tested positive for at least one respiratory virus or bacterium; of these, 195 (39.3%) tested positive for respiratory viruses, 126 (25.4%) tested positive for respiratory bacteria, and 175 (35.3%) tested positive for both respiratory viruses and bacteria. The predominant viruses detected were respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (149/638; 23.3%), human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) types 1 to 4 (78/638; 12.2%), human rhinovirus (HRV) (62/638; 9.4%), human adenovirus (HAV) (60/638; 9.4%), and influenza virus (INF) (52/638; 8.1%). Streptococcus pneumoniae (249/638; 39.0%) was the most frequently detected bacterium, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (112/638; 12.2%) and Haemophilus influenzae type B (16/638; 2.5%). Chest X-rays were performed at the discretion of the attending physician on 301 (47.2%) case patients. Of these patients, 231 (76.7%) had abnormal

Causes of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections and the Use of Diagnostic Biomarkers in Blood Samples from Children in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China, Between July 2019 and June 2020

“…Etiology of 2 or more pathogens was documented in 145 patients (54.7%), and the most detected common co-infection groups were RSV/ S. hemolyticus , adenovirus/ H. infuenzae , and S. hemolyticus / H. influenzae . Our data is consistent with some recent reports on ARIs in Africa, which were validated by RT-PCR multiplex assay [ 33 , 34 ]. Therefore, it is necessary to perform a differential diagnosis between viruses and bacteria.…”

Pathogens detected using a syndromic molecular diagnostic platform in patients hospitalized with severe respiratory illness in South Africa in 2017

“…Our findings highlight potential roles for S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, M. tuberculosis, adenovirus, GBS, enterovirus, P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii, and influenza A as important causes of SRI, consistent with previous reports in South Africa, Niger and other African countries between 2010 and 2015 (12,23,24,28,29). The 12% detection rate of M. tuberculosis in our study, the majority of which was detected among older children and adults, is in agreement with a previous report in South Africa of 15% prevalence of the pathogen in patients aged >15 years hospitalized with SRI between 2010 and 2011 (29).…”

The epidemiology of seasonal influenza after the 2009 influenza pandemic in Africa: a systematic review

“…A total of 22 papers from 13 countries have reported data on influenza and other respiratory pathogens including both viruses and bacteria . From these, 13 studies reported data on respiratory pathogens among children < 5 years with SARI 145,146,149,151,153,155,156,161,162,[165][166][167]218 , while 9 studied reported data on respiratory pathogens among other age groups 147,148,150,152,[157][158][159][160]163 . The detection of respiratory virus varied considerably.…”