Han Jeong Su, Chung Yoo Na, Kim Jae Kyung
Department of Biomedical Laboratory Science, College of Health Sciences, Dankook University, Cheonan-si 31116, Republic of Korea.
Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan-si 31116, Republic of Korea.
Microorganisms. 2025 May 16;13(5):1141. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13051141.
Influenza B, a globally prevalent respiratory virus, particularly affects children, the elderly, and individuals with chronic diseases. This retrospective single-center study analyzed long-term epidemiological trends using 23,284 PCR test results from Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan-si, Republic of Korea, from 2007 to 2024. The data included inpatients and outpatients who presented with respiratory symptoms and underwent multiplex PCR testing. Unlike previous studies focusing on short-term outbreaks, this study examines extended trends and emerging seasonal patterns. Positivity rates were statistically analyzed by year, season, sex, age group, and the impact of COVID-19 (2020-2022). Significant annual differences ( < 0.001) occurred, with peaks in 2012 and 2018 and a sharp decline during 2020-2022. Children exhibited the highest positivity rate (2.40%), significantly higher than that of adults (2.24%) and the elderly (1.79%) ( < 0.05). Infections peaked in the winter (2.98%) and spring (3.95%), contrary to the belief that Influenza B peaks in winter only. Females had a higher positivity rate (2.13%) than males (1.70%) ( = 0.017). These findings provide novel insights into Influenza B epidemiology, emphasizing the need for prevention strategies beyond winter. The secondary spring peak suggests extending vaccination to early spring may improve influenza control, particularly among high-risk groups.
乙型流感是一种全球流行的呼吸道病毒，尤其影响儿童、老年人和患有慢性病的个体。这项回顾性单中心研究利用韩国忠清南道牙山市檀国大学医院2007年至2024年的23284份聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测结果分析了长期的流行病学趋势。数据包括出现呼吸道症状并接受多重PCR检测的住院患者和门诊患者。与以往关注短期疫情爆发的研究不同，本研究考察了长期趋势和新出现的季节性模式。通过年份、季节、性别、年龄组以及新冠疫情（2020 - 2022年）的影响对阳性率进行了统计分析。年度差异显著（<0.001），在2012年和2018年出现高峰，在2020 - 2022年期间急剧下降。儿童的阳性率最高（2.40%），显著高于成年人（2.24%）和老年人（1.79%）（<0.05）。感染高峰出现在冬季（2.98%）和春季（3.95%），这与认为乙型流感仅在冬季达到高峰的观点相反。女性的阳性率（2.13%）高于男性（1.70%）（P = 0.017）。这些发现为乙型流感流行病学提供了新的见解，强调了除冬季之外预防策略的必要性。春季的第二个高峰表明将疫苗接种扩展到早春可能会改善流感防控，特别是在高危人群中。
