İnvestigation of respıratory viruses by molecular method in children with acute lower respiratory tract infection or wheezing

Respiratory tract samples were collected from children aged between 0-14 years, who were inpatients at the Pediatric Service of Gaziantep University Medical Faculty, or who received outpatient treatment at the Pediatric Allergy Polyclinic between October 2010 and May 2011. Samples were obtained from all of the cases, which were diagnosed as having recurrent pulmonary infection and asthma with symptoms of acute lower respiratory tract infection or wheezing, and from the control group. The presence of respiratory tract viruses was explored by use of multiplex?PCR. Data on demographics, symptoms, clinic findings and routine laboratory results were obtained in the study. Samples were collected from 150 children: 90 patients and 60 controls. Following the isolation of DNA/RNA from samples, respiratory tract viruses were explored. While 34 (37.8%) of the patient group had no viruses, 38 (42.2%) had one virus, 15 (16.7%) had two viruses and 3 (3.3%) had three viruses. While no viruses were found in 35 (58.3%) of the control group, 23 (38.3%) had one virus and 2 (3.3%) had two viruses. A statistically significant difference (p=0.004) was observed between the number of viruses in the patient and control groups. The viruses detected in the patient and control groups were rhinovirus A/B/C (25.6% and 36.7%), influenza A virus (21.1% and 0.0%), parainfluenzavirus type1 (7.8% and 1.7%), parainfluenzavirus type4 (5.6% and 0.0%), Adenovirus A/B/C/D/E (4.4% and 1.7%), Parainfluenzavirus type3 (4.4% and 1.7%), coronavirus 229E/NL63 (4.4% and 1.7%), coronavirus OC43 (3.3% and 0.0%), respiratory syncytial virus A(3.3% and 0.0%), parainfluenzavirus type2 (2.2% and 0.0%), influenza B virus (2.2% and 0.0%) and respiratory syncytial virus B (1.1% and 1.7%). No bocavirus, metapneumovirus or enterovirus were detected in any of the samples. As result, detection of viral agents from respiratory tract samples via molecular methods in thought to be useful in terms of rapid diagnosis.