Prevalence of non-influenza respiratory viruses in acute respiratory infection cases in Mexico

Abstract

BackgroundAcute respiratory infections are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although a viral aetiological agent is estimated to be involved in up to 80% of cases, the majority of these agents have never been specifically identified. Since 2009, diagnostic and surveillance efforts for influenza virus have been applied worldwide. However, insufficient epidemiological information is available for the many other respiratory viruses that can cause Acute respiratory infections.MethodsThis study evaluated the presence of 14 non-influenza respiratory viruses in 872 pharyngeal exudate samples using RT-qPCR. All samples met the operational definition of a probable case of an influenza-like illness or severe acute respiratory infection and had a previous negative result for influenza by RT-qPCR.ResultsThe presence of at least one non-influenza virus was observed in 312 samples (35.8%). The most frequent viruses were rhinovirus (RV; 33.0%), human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV; 30.8%) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV; 10.6%). A total of 56 cases of co-infection (17.9%) caused by 2, 3, or 4 viruses were identified. Approximately 62.5% of all positive cases were in children under 9 years of age.ConclusionIn this study, we identified 13 non-influenza respiratory viruses that could occur in any season of the year. This study provides evidence for the prevalence and seasonality of a wide range of respiratory viruses that circulate in Mexico and constitute a risk for the population. Additionally, our data suggest that including these tests more widely in the diagnostic algorithm for influenza may reduce the use of unnecessary antibiotics, reduce the hospitalisation time, and enrich national epidemiological data with respect to the infections caused by these viruses.

Regional, age and respiratory-secretion-specific prevalence of respiratory viruses associated with asthma exacerbation: a literature review

“…A possible explanation is that RVs are the most common resident pathogens and are prone to cause upper airway infections (e.g., common cold). Consistently, RVs were isolated in 33.0% of pharyngeal exudate samples from Mexicans with acute upper respiratory tract infections [12].…”

“…RSV was reportedly found in 12% of elderly patients with acute respiratory illnesses [13] and in 30.8% in Mexicans with acute upper respiratory tract infection [12], EnV was isolated from 37.0% of young infants with sepsis-like illnesses [14], and BoV was detected in 9.9% of nasopharyngeal aspirates from hospitalized children in Spain [15]. However, the prevalence of MpV was higher (10.6%) in Mexicans with acute upper respiratory tract infection [12], and the prevalence of AdV was also higher (15.0%) among hospitalized children in Spain [15] than that in our pooled analysis. The substantial heterogeneity of the prevalence data was probably due to differences in study design, ethnicity, geographic region, the site of sample collection, and detection methods.…”

The epidemiology and severity of respiratory viral infections in a tropical country: Ecuador, 2009–2016

“…Comparing the overall and virus-specific PDR between studies is made problematic by the variability of factors like the demographic structure of the country, the surveillance scheme and the clinical features of patients being sampled, the sampling techniques being used [15], and the laboratory procedures and assays (which may vary in terms of number of respiratory pathogens that can be detected) [16]. By and large, a viral aetiology could be established in a smaller number of patients compared to previous studies [5,[17][18][19][20], which might be explained by the failure to detect common causes of RVIs like rhinovirus, coronavirus, and others [21]. Viral interference between epidemics of influenza and RSV was observed previously [22,23].…”

Systematic review on respiratory syncytial virus epidemiology in adults and the elderly in Latin America

“…This review included three studies with durations less than one year. Two of these studies (Fernandes-Matano et al, 2017;Rioseco et al, 2012) had study durations of approximately 11 months, which are not expected to have influenced the percentage of RSV detection reported. The study by Riquelme et al (2014), however, was a five-month study conducted within the RSV season in Chile, which may have overestimated the prevalence of this virus.…”

“…Several distinct microorganisms may cause these infections, with an estimate of up to 80% of cases being due to a viral etiological agent. Globally, influenza viruses are amongst the primary causative agents of ARI, though various other respiratory viruses (namely RSV) may cause these infections (Fernandes-Matano et al, 2017). In Colombia, RSV accounted for a considerable amount of ARI cases between 2000 and 2011, with 31.7% of infections in adults aged !31 years testing positive for this virus.…”