Etiology, clinical characteristics and coinfection status of bronchiolitis in Suzhou

BackgroundBronchiolitis is a clinical syndrome commonly encountered in practice, particularly among infants and young children. To investigate the prevalence of pathogens in hospitalized children with bronchiolitis and study the clinical characteristics of bronchiolitis with or without coinfections.MethodsWe investigated the respiratory specimens and clinical data of 1012 children with bronchiolitis who were treated at the Children's Hospital of Soochow University between November 2011 and December 2018. The nasopharyngeal aspirates were examined to detect viruses by direct immunofluorescence assay or polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) was tested by PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsOf the 1134 children less than 2years with bronchiolitis, 122 were excluded by exclusion criteria. Causative pathogen was detected in 83.2% (842 of 1012). The majority of these (614 [72.9%] of 842) were single virus infection. The most common pathogens detected were respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (44.4%), MP (15.6%), and human rhinovirus (HRV) (14.4%). Coinfection was identified in 13.5% (137 of 1012) of the patients. Coinfection included mixed virus infection and virus infection with MP infection. Children with single virus infection had a higher rate of oxygen therapy compared with single MP infection.ConclusionsThe most common pathogen detected in children with bronchiolitis is RSV, followed by MP and HRV. Coinfection leads to a longer period of illness, increased severity of the symptoms and increased risk of hypoxemia.

Automated summary

Bronchiolitis is a common clinical syndrome in infants and young children. In a study of 1012 hospitalized children with bronchiolitis, 83.2% tested positive for pathogens, with most cases being single virus infections. The most common pathogens detected were respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), followed by Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) and human rhinovirus (HRV). Coinfection was identified in 13.5% of patients, leading to longer illness duration, increased symptom severity, and higher risk of hypoxemia.