Clinical and Epidemiological Profile of Pandemic Influenza A H1N1, H3N2, and Type B in the Southeast of Caspian Sea, Iran

Background: Timely diagnosis of influenza virus is important because this virus can cause severe illness. The 2009 pdmH1N1 influenza virus spread rapidly throughout the world as the first infectious pandemic of the 21st century. Objectives: The aim of this study was the investigation of clinical and epidemiological figure of influenza virus A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and Influenza B infection among patients with respiratory syndrome in Golestan province, Southeast of Caspian see, Iran. Methods: This prospective, cross sectional study took place since November 2010 through March 2014. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs were taken from patients with respiratory syndrome in virus transport medium and were extracted with High Pure Viral RNA Extraction Kit. Real time PCR were performed according to the CDC recommended protocol. Results: A total of 790 suspected cases were assessed; pandemic A H1N1, A/H3N2, and influenza B virus were confirmed in 25 cases (3.2%), 21 cases (2.7%), and 22 (2.8%), respectively. The greatest number of confirmed cases occurred in the age group of 25 to 34 years. There was no significant association between positive cases and age, sex, residency, and clinical symptoms. Conclusions: The prevalence of pandemic Influenza viruses in recent years has caused financial losses as well as mortalities around the world. This shows the importance of the rapid diagnosis of common serotypes in our society. Using real-time RT-PCR is recommended for the early diagnosis and the rapid identification of the individuals infected with pandemic influenza virus.