Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To analyze the subtyping, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of respiratory adenovirus (ADV) infections in hospitalized children, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of respiratory ADV infections.
METHODS Respiratory samples from 15, 315 hospitalized children in Hubei Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from Jan. to Dec. 2023 were collected. Pathogen-targeted high-throughput sequencing technology (tNGS)/multiplex respiratory virus detection kits were used to detect respiratory pathogens in the samples. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients, as well as the subtypes and epidemiological features of adenovirus (ADV).
RESULTS Of the 15, 315 samples, 436 were confirmed to be ADV-positive, with an overall detection rate of 2.85%. Summer was the peak season for ADV respiratory infections, with the highest detection rate of 1.46% (224/15, 315). The detection rates in spring, autumn and winter were 0.43%, 0.41% and 0.54%, respectively. The detection rate was highest among children aged 2 to < 6 years (3.24%, 247/7, 621). The ADV detection rates differed significantly among different age groups (P < 0.05). The 436 samples contained 4 species (B, C, D and E) and 7 serotypes (ADV-1 ~7), and the ADV-B3 and ADV-B7 subtypes accounted for the majority of genotypes, accounting for 73.62% of the total. The main clinical symptoms of ADV-positive children were cough, fever, tonsillar enlargement with purulent secretions and abdominal pain. Among the 436 ADV-positive hospitalized children, 296 (67.89%) had single ADV infection, while 140 (32.11%) had co-infection with other respiratory pathogens. Children in the coinfection group had higher proportions of fever, high fever, fever duration, cough, shortness of breath, mild to severe pneumonia and longer hospital stays compared to the single infection group (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS The detection rate of ADV is associated with age and season. Common clinical manifestations are cough, fever, tonsillar enlargement with purulent exudates and abdominal pain. ADV-3 and ADV-7 are the most commonly detected types in children diagnosed with respiratory infections.