Respiratory syncytial virus in hospitalized children - A 3-year study

Objective > To assess the prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other important respiratory viruses in children hospitalized in G pediatric hospital in Paris (France) during a 3-year period (2001 to 2004). Patients and Methods > The study included all patients aged 8 days to 16 years admitted from the community through emergency deportment with bronchiolitis, pneumonia, upper respiratory tract infection, asthma or acute isolated fever and who hod nasophoryngeal samples token for viral identification by immunofluorescence (RSV influenza, para-influenza, and adenoviruses). Results > A virus was found in 464 of 1208 patients with samples token. RSV was identified in 375 patients, 74% of them younger than 6 months and diagnosed with bronchiolitis. RSV was isolated more often than any other virus, overall and for all diagnoses except "isolated fever," for which influenza was more frequent. In patients aged 24 months or older influenza and RSV were identified at the Same frequency overall, influenza virus was found in 53 patients, adenoviruses in 24 and para-influenza viruses in 11. Conclusion > RSV was the respiratory virus isolated most often, even In older children, during this 3-year study. The relative rarity of hospitalizations due to para-influenza viruses is characteristic of this area, compared with some other countries.