Investigation of causing agents of respiratory tract infection during the COVİD-19 pandemic period

Respiratory tract infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. In particular, close monitoring of pathogens with pandemic potential is important for early diagnosis and control of possible pandemics. The SARS CoV-2 agent and the first onset of the COVID-19 pandemic it caused were identified at the end of 2019 has been emerged with the increase in the number of cases during ILI surveillance. Since it is a newly identified virus, the coexistence of SARS CoV-2 and COVID-19 pandemics with other respiratory tract viruses and the effect of these viruses on their activity during the year are being investigated. In this study, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) and viruses that most commonly cause respiratory tract infections in patients with similar clinical symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic were examined; Influenza A/Influenza B; influenza A H1/H3/H5/H7; Human MetapneumoVirus (HMPV), Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) A/B, Human rhinovirus (HRV); human bocavirus (HBoV); The simultaneous presence of Human enterovirus (HEV), Human parechoVirus (HPeV), Human adenovirus (AV), Human coronavirus (HCoV) HKU/NL63/OC43/229E and Parainfluenza (PIV) 1/2/3/4 viruses were investigated. Nasopharyngeal swab samples taken from 100 patients aged 0-90 years, who were prediagnosed with viral respiratory tract infection in Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University, Faculty of Medicine clinics and polyclinics between December 2020 and April 2021 were analyzed by multiplex single-step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (Multiplex RT qPZR) method. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in two (1%) of 50 samples taken from pediatric patients, and Human coronavirus (HCoV) OC43 was positive in one. While 14 samples (28%) were found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the adult patient group, other respiratory tract viruses were not detected. Although the study has been carried out within the high season of influenza and the other respiratory viral pathogens those were found to be at low numbers and ratio. The reason of the low detection rate of SARS CoV-2 virus and other respiratory tract viruses was interpreted as, taking personal precautions and quarantine measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was thought that SARS CoV-2 activity and its effect on seasonal influenza and other respiratory tract virus activities should be followed closely in the coming years.