He Yuanfang, He Xiaoliang, He Ning, Wang Peipei, Gao You, Sheng Jiexin, Tang Jin
Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hanzhong Central Hospital, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, China.
Department of Urology, Hanzhong Central Hospital, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Apr 25;13:1557076. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1557076. eCollection 2025.
Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a leading cause of morbidity in children. Understanding the distribution of respiratory pathogens is crucial for effective prevention and treatment. This study analyzed the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of ARIs in children from 2023 to 2024.
This study included 9,294 children aged 0-18 years with ARI symptoms who were treated between July 2023 and August 2024. Respiratory samples were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for eight common viruses. Data were analyzed by age and gender to assess pathogen distribution and demographic patterns.
A total of 14,722 samples were enrolled, with 2,888 (19.62%) testing positive for at least one pathogen. Among these, single-pathogen infections were predominant (97.66%, 2,756/2,822), while co-infections were less frequent (2.34%, 66/2,822). The three most common pathogens were adenovirus (ADV, 33.24%), (MP, 25.07%), and whooping cough (WC, 22.78%). No significant gender differences were observed in the overall positive rate or pathogen distribution ( > 0.05). Pathogen detection rates varied significantly by age group ( = 110.03, < 0.001), with WC and MP being most prevalent in school-age children ( = 104.58, < 0.001; = 11.546, = 0.009, respectively) and Flu A more frequent in preschool children ( = 38.738, < 0.001). MP, WC, ADV, human rhinovirus, and human metapneumovirus were detected throughout the year.
The findings highlight that ARIs in children are primarily caused by single respiratory pathogens, with significant age-related differences in pathogen prevalence. These results emphasize the need for age-specific prevention strategies, such as targeted vaccination programs and public health interventions, particularly for school-age children during peak transmission periods.
急性呼吸道感染（ARIs）是儿童发病的主要原因。了解呼吸道病原体的分布对于有效预防和治疗至关重要。本研究分析了2023年至2024年儿童急性呼吸道感染的患病率和流行病学特征。
本研究纳入了2023年7月至2024年8月期间接受治疗的9294名0至18岁有急性呼吸道感染症状的儿童。使用聚合酶链反应（PCR）对呼吸道样本进行八种常见病毒检测。按年龄和性别对数据进行分析，以评估病原体分布和人口统计学模式。
共采集14722份样本，其中2888份（19.62%）至少有一种病原体检测呈阳性。其中，单病原体感染占主导（97.66%，2756/2822），而合并感染较少见（2.34%，66/2822）。三种最常见的病原体是腺病毒（ADV，33.24%）、支原体（MP，25.07%）和百日咳（WC，22.78%）。总体阳性率或病原体分布在性别上未观察到显著差异（P>0.05）。病原体检出率在不同年龄组间差异显著（χ²=110.03，P<0.001），百日咳和支原体在学龄儿童中最为常见（χ²分别为104.58，P<0.001；χ²为11.546，P=0.009），甲型流感在学龄前儿童中更常见（χ²=38.738，P<0.001）。支原体、百日咳、腺病毒、人鼻病毒和人偏肺病毒全年均可检出。
研究结果表明，儿童急性呼吸道感染主要由单一呼吸道病原体引起，病原体患病率存在显著的年龄相关差异。这些结果强调了针对不同年龄组制定预防策略的必要性，如针对性的疫苗接种计划和公共卫生干预措施，特别是在传播高峰期对学龄儿童采取措施。
