Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA.
Research Center at Hospital Teófilo Dávila, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Machala, Ecuador.
Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2023 Jan;17(1):e13056. doi: 10.1111/irv.13056. Epub 2022 Sep 29.
Implementation of respiratory virus prevention measures requires detailed understanding of regional epidemiology; however, data from many tropical countries are sparse. We describe etiologies of ambulatory pediatric acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) in Ecuador immediately preceding the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Children < 5 years presenting to a designated study site with an ARTI were eligible. Informed consent was obtained. Demographic and clinical data were recorded. A nasopharyngeal swab was collected, processed, and analyzed using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for common respiratory pathogens. Rhinovirus/enterovirus positive samples were further characterized by genomic sequencing.
A total of 820 subjects were enrolled in the study between July 2018 and March 2020. A total of 655 (80%) samples identified at least one pathogen. Rhinoviruses (44%) were most common, followed by enteroviruses (17%), parainfluenza viruses (17%), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (15%), and influenza viruses (13%). Enterovirus D68 was the most common enterovirus detected and was among the leading causes of bronchiolitis. Seasonal RSV and influenza virus activity were different along the coast compared with the highlands.
Ongoing regional surveillance studies are necessary to optimize available and emerging pathogen-specific preventative measures.
实施呼吸道病毒预防措施需要详细了解区域流行病学情况；然而，许多热带国家的数据都很匮乏。我们描述了 SARS-CoV-2 大流行前厄瓜多尔门诊儿科急性呼吸道感染（ARTI）的病因。
有 ARTI 症状并到指定研究点就诊的<5 岁儿童符合入选条件。征得知情同意。记录人口统计学和临床数据。采集鼻咽拭子，采用多重聚合酶链反应（PCR）对常见呼吸道病原体进行处理和分析。鼻病毒/肠道病毒阳性样本进一步通过基因组测序进行特征分析。
共有 820 名受试者于 2018 年 7 月至 2020 年 3 月期间参加了该研究。共有 655 份（80%）样本至少鉴定出一种病原体。鼻病毒（44%）最为常见，其次是肠道病毒（17%）、副流感病毒（17%）、呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）（15%）和流感病毒（13%）。检测到的肠道病毒 D68 是最常见的肠道病毒，也是毛细支气管炎的主要病因之一。沿海地区与高海拔地区的 RSV 和流感病毒季节性活动不同。
需要进行持续的区域监测研究，以优化现有的和新出现的针对病原体的预防措施。
