All issues > Volume 51(8); 2008

Original Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2008;51(8):834-341. Published online August 15, 2008.

Detection and clinical manifestations of twelve respiratory viruses in hospitalized children with acute lower respiratory tract infections : Focus on human metapneumovirus, human rhinovirus and human coronavirus

Kum Hyang KH Kim¹, Jung Ho JH Lee¹, Dong Shin DS Sun¹, Dong Shin DS Sun², Young Jin YJ Choi³, Joon Soo JS Park¹, Chang Jin CJ Kim⁴, Dong Jun DJ Jung⁴

¹Department of Pediatrics, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Soonchunhyang University School of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
²Department of Preventive Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Soonchunhyang University School of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
³Department of Laboratory Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Soonchunhyang University School of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea
⁴Department of Pathology‡, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Soonchunhyang University School of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea

Correspondence Dong Jun DJ Jung ,Email: Juny1024@sch.ac.kr

Abstract

Purpose
: This study was perfomed to analyze in detail the viral etiology of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI) in Cheunan, Korea by multiplex RT-PCR, including human rhinovirus (hRV) and newly identified viruses such as human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and human coronavirus (HCoV-OC43, HCoV-229E/NL63).
Method
: Nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) were collected from 863 hospitalized children with ALRI on the first day of admission at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital and analyzed by multiplex RT-PCR from December 2005 to November 2006.
Results
: Viral agents were detected from 474 subjects (54.9%). The identified viral pathogens were hRV 9.2%, hMPV 6.8 %, HCoV-229E/NL63 1.4%, and HCoV-OC43 2.1%. Coinfections with ≥2 viruses were observed in 108 patients (22.8%). The major period of viral ALRI was the first year of life. Clinical diagnoses of viral ALRI were pneumonia (59.5%), bronchiolitis (24.7%), tracheobronchitis (11.4%), and croup (4%). The most common causes of bronchiolitis was respiratory syncytial virus B (RSV B), whereas hMPV, hRV, HCoV-229E/NL63, and HCoV-OC43 were commonly found in patients with pneumonia. The number of hMPV infections peaked between March and May 2006. HCoV-OC43 was prevalent from November to February 2006, whereas HCoV-229E and hRV were detected throughout the year.
Conclusion
: Although the study was confined to one year, hMPV was not detected during winter and peaked between March and April, which was not consistent with previous studies. This present study indicates that HCoV is a less common respiratory pathogen in cases of ALRI in Korean children.

Keywords :Respiratory virus, Respiratory infectionsm, RT-PCR, Children