Viral Etiology of Acute Respiratory Infections During 2014–2016 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Aim: Viral etiology of respiratory infections is not well understood in Saudi Arabia. This study was conceptualized to understand viral etiology in children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) from Riyadh. Patients & methods: Respiratory viruses were detected by real-time PCR in nasopharyngeal aspirates or swab from 580 children aged ≤5 years. Results: Respiratory viruses were detected in 64% of the samples with 6% mixed viral infections. Respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, influenza, parainfluenza and human metapneumovirus infections accounted for 42, 20, 16, 12 and 10%, respectively. Maximum prevalence (37%) was among the lowest age group followed by 30% among the 7- to 12-month age group. Conclusion: The prevalence and determinants of viral etiology are in line with the previous report from the region. No major shift in the viral etiologies was observed in the 2-year study period.

Keywords:

• acute respiratory tract infections
• adenovirus
• coinfections
• FLU-A
• FLU-B
• influenza
• respiratory infection
• respiratory viruses
• RSV
• viral etiology

Author contributions

A Ahmed: conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, writing of original draft. A Ahmed, K Mobaireek, AA AlSaadi: investigation, data collection, methodology, visualization. A Ahmed, MM Alsenaidy: supervision, project administration, resources.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dr Salman Alamery and Kaiser Ahmed Wani for their valuable contribution toward reviewing the manuscript and statistical analysis.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University, Riyadh, for funding work through the Research Group Project no. RG-1439-74. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained approval from the institutional review boards of College of Medicine, King Saud University (approval no. E-14-1155) and King Fahad Medical City (approval no. 14-279). Consent was obtained from the parents/guardians of the children, and demographic data were obtained from records.