Added Value of an Oropharyngeal Swab in Detection of Viruses in Children Hospitalized with Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

Paired nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs collected from 533 children hospitalized with lower respiratory tract infection were assessed by multiplex reverse transcription-PCR. Oropharyngeal swabs increased the number of viral infections detected by 15%, compared to collection of a nasopharyngeal swab alone. This advantage was most pronounced for detection of influenza, parainfluenza, and adenovirus.