Clin Lab. 2022 Feb 1;68(2). doi: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210636.
Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is the most common infectious disease in all ages and genders worldwide. Respiratory microorganisms such as respiratory viruses, are commonly responsible for causing ARI. COVID-19 is still prevalent in Korea. The implementation of lockdown and strict control measures, the mandatory wearing of masks, and social distancing are critical steps for controlling the risk of COVID-19 spread. This study was conducted to find out how these changes in daily lives impacted the distribution of respiratory microorganisms.
A retrospective study was conducted to identify the incidence and distribution patterns of ARI-causing respiratory microorganisms before (Period Ⅰ) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (Period Ⅱ) in terms of detection method, age, month, and season. In particular, data in Periods Ⅰ and Ⅱ were compared for eight major kinds of respiratory microorganisms: adenovirus (AdV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human rhinovirus/enterovirus (Rhino/Entero), influenza virus (Flu) A, Flu B, human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) 3, respiratory syncytial virus, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
A total of 27,191 respiratory specimens were tested, of which 5,513 were obtained from children and adolescents (age groups 1 ⁓ 5) and 21,678 from adults (age group 6). The overall positive rates for at least one respiratory microorganism in Periods Ⅰ and Ⅱ were 23.1% (1,199/5,193) and 4.9% (1,070/21,998), respectively (p < 0.001). The overall positive rates in male and female patients were significantly different (8.7% vs. 7.9%; p = 0.016). On the FilmArray™ RP assay, positive rates in all age groups decreased significantly in Period Ⅱ compared with Period Ⅰ. AdV, Rhino/Entero, and Flu A were detected in all four seasons, but HMPV and HPIV3 were not detected. The overall positive rates on FilmArray and the Flu antigen test in Period Ⅱ were significantly decreased. In the COVID-19 test, the positive rates were high in March and April 2020, and decreased thereafter, but these increased again in the winter of 2020/2021.
Life changes due to COVID-19 pandemic have had a significant impact on the distribution of respiratory microorganisms; our study results might provide useful information on respiratory virus epidemiology.
急性呼吸道感染（ARI）是全球所有年龄段和性别人群中最常见的传染病。呼吸道微生物如呼吸道病毒，通常是引起 ARI 的罪魁祸首。COVID-19 在韩国仍然流行。实施封锁和严格的控制措施、强制佩戴口罩和保持社交距离，是控制 COVID-19 传播风险的关键步骤。本研究旨在了解日常生活中的这些变化如何影响呼吸道微生物的分布。
本研究采用回顾性研究方法，根据检测方法、年龄、月份和季节，比较 COVID-19 大流行前（第 I 期）和大流行期间（第 II 期）引起 ARI 的呼吸道微生物的发生率和分布模式。特别是，对八大类呼吸道微生物（腺病毒（AdV）、人偏肺病毒（HMPV）、人鼻病毒/肠道病毒（Rhino/Entero）、流感病毒（Flu）A、Flu B、人副流感病毒（HPIV）3、呼吸道合胞病毒和肺炎支原体）在第 I 期和第 II 期的数据进行了比较。
共检测了 27191 份呼吸道标本，其中 5513 份来自儿童和青少年（年龄组 1-5），21678 份来自成年人（年龄组 6）。第 I 期和第 II 期至少有一种呼吸道微生物阳性的总阳性率分别为 23.1%（1199/5193）和 4.9%（1070/21998）（p<0.001）。男性和女性患者的总阳性率差异有统计学意义（8.7%比 7.9%；p=0.016）。在 FilmArray™ RP 检测中，第 II 期所有年龄组的阳性率与第 I 期相比均显著下降。AdV、Rhino/Entero 和 Flu A 均在四个季节中检测到，但 HMPV 和 HPIV3 未检测到。第 II 期 FilmArray 和流感抗原检测的总阳性率显著下降。在 COVID-19 检测中，2020 年 3 月和 4 月阳性率较高，此后下降，但在 2020/2021 年冬季再次上升。
COVID-19 大流行导致的生活变化对呼吸道微生物的分布产生了重大影响；我们的研究结果可能为呼吸道病毒流行病学提供有用的信息。
