rome and Respiratory-Tract-Infections

The role of human bocavirus (HBoV) as a respiratory pathogen has not been fulfilled yet. We aimed to describe clinical and serological characteristics of children with HBoV hospitalized for acute respiratory tract infection and to evaluate whether differences occur between HBoV alone and in co-infection.. We retrospectively reviewed data from 60 children (median age of 6.2 months, range 0.6-70.9) hospitalized for acute respiratory symptoms, with HBoV detected from a respiratory sample, using a reverse transcriptase-PCR for 14 respiratory viruses (including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza virus A and B, human coronavirus OC43, 229E, NL-63 and HUK1, adenovirus, rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus1-3, and human metapneumovirus).. HBoV was detected alone in 29 (48.3%) patients, while in co-infection with other viruses in 31 patients (51.7%), with a peak between December and January. Among the 60 patients, 34 were bronchiolitis, 19 wheezing, 3 pneumonia, 2 upper respiratory tract infection, and 2 whooping cough. Seven children (11.6%) required admission to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for respiratory failure. No differences was observed in age, family history for atopy and/or asthma, clinical presentations, chest X-ray, or laboratory findings in children with HBoV alone vs. multiple viral detection. RSV was the most frequently co-detected virus (61.3%). When compared with HBoV detection alone, the co-detection of RSV and HBoV was associated with male sex (P = 0.013), younger age (P = 0.01), and lower blood neutrophil count (P = 0.032).. HBoV can be detected alone and in co-infection respiratory samples of children with an acute respiratory tract infection. A cause-effect relationship between HBoV and respiratory infection is not clear, so further studies are needed to clarify this point.

Topics: Acute Disease; Age Distribution; Child; Child, Preschool; Coinfection; Databases, Factual; Emergency Service, Hospital; Female; Hospitalization; Hospitals, University; Human bocavirus; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; Italy; Male; Parvoviridae Infections; Prognosis; Respiratory Tract Infections; Retrospective Studies; Rome; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Distribution

Acute respiratory tract infections frequently occur in children and represent one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Quick and accurate pathogen detection can lead to a more appropriate use of antimicrobial treatment as well as timely implementation of isolation precautions. In the last decade, several commercial assays have been developed for the simultaneous diagnosis of respiratory pathogens, which substantially vary in formulation and performance characteristics. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the "Allplex

Topics: Automation, Laboratory; Child; Child, Preschool; Hospitals, Pediatric; Humans; Infant; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Nasopharynx; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rome; Sensitivity and Specificity; Virus Diseases

In Italy, the first SARS-CoV-2 infections were diagnosed in Rome, Lazio region, at the end of January 2020, but sustained transmission occurred later, since the end of February. From 1 February to 12 April 2020, 17,164 nasopharyngeal swabs were tested by real time PCR for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 at the Laboratory of Virology of National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" (INMI) in Rome. In the same period, coincident with the winter peak of influenza and other respiratory illnesses, 847 samples were analyzed by multiplex PCR assay for the presence of common respiratory pathogens. In our study the time trend of SARS-CoV-2 and that of other respiratory pathogens in the same observation period were analysed. Overall, results obtained suggest that the spread of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 virus did not substantially affect the time trend of other respiratory infections in our region, highlighting no significant difference in rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with or without other respiratory pathogens. Therefore, in the present scenario of COVID-19 pandemic, differential diagnosis resulting positive for common respiratory pathogen(s) should not exclude testing of SARS-CoV-2.

Topics: Coronavirus; Coronavirus Infections; Humans; Influenza, Human; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; Nasopharynx; Orthomyxoviridae; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rome

To evaluate the effectiveness of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine in reducing hospitalizations for infectious disease, targeted and not targeted, as well as from respiratory diseases in children in Rome.. The cohort was recomposed through record linkage of 2 archives (vaccination register and hospital discharge records.. The analysis included 11,004 children. 20.9% did not receive the MMR vaccination, 49% and 30.1% received one and 2 doses. There were no hospitalizations for rubella, 2 for mumps, and 12 for measles. The vaccine was highly protective against measles and mumps hospitalizations (HR = 0.10; 95% CI: 0.03.0.34). Regarding all infectious diseases there were 414 hospitalizations, and the vaccine was protective (HR = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.34). Concerning respiratory diseases, there were 809 admissions (7.4%), and the vaccine was highly protective (HR: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.48).. MMR vaccination is effective for the primary prevention of target and not targeted infectious diseases and may also limit hospitalizations for respiratory diseases.

Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Cohort Studies; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Infant; Male; Measles; Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine; Mumps; Respiratory Tract Infections; Retrospective Studies; Rome; Rubella; Vaccination; Vaccines, Attenuated

To characterize respiratory virus infections during the first autumn-winter season of pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus (A/H1N1/2009) circulation, a prospective study in children attending a paediatric emergency department at the Sapienza University hospital, Rome, was conducted from November 2009 to March 2010. By means of both nasal washings and pharyngeal swabs, enrolled children were checked for 14 respiratory viruses. The majority of acute respiratory infections resulted from viral pathogens (135/231, 58%). Overall, the most common was respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in 64% of positive samples; A/H1N1/2009 was the only influenza virus found in 16% and rhinovirus (RV) in 15%. Virus-positive children did not differ significantly from virus-negative children in signs and symptoms at presentation; of the virus groups, RSV-infected children were younger and more frequently admitted to intensive-care units than those infected with A/H1N1/2009 and RV. Of the hospitalized children, stratified by age, both infants and children aged >1 year with RSV were most severely affected, whereas A/H1N1/2009 infections were the mildest overall, although with related pulmonary involvement in older children. Children with RV infections, detected in two flares partially overlapping with the A/H1N1/2009 and RSV peaks, presented with bronchiolitis, wheezing and pneumonia. Leukocytosis occurred more frequently in RV-infected and A/H1N1/2009-infected children, and numbers of blood eosinophils were significantly elevated in RV-infected infants. Given the fact that clinical and epidemiological criteria are not sufficient to identify viral respiratory infections, a timely virological diagnosis could allow different infections to be managed separately.

Topics: Adolescent; Blood Cell Count; Bronchiolitis, Viral; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Infant; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; Influenza, Human; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; Leukocytosis; Male; Nasal Lavage Fluid; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; Prospective Studies; Respiratory Sounds; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rome; Seasons; Severity of Illness Index

Human bocavirus (HBoV) was first discovered in Sweden in 2005 and has now been found worldwide; however its role in clinically relevant diseases has not yet been clearly defined.. To gain new insight into HBoV infection among children hospitalized with acute respiratory infections in Rome.. Between November 2004 and May 2007, 415 nasal washings were tested for the presence of an extensive range of respiratory viruses using molecular methods.. Viral pathogens were detected in 214 children (51.6%), 28.9% being respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and 9.6% being rhinovirus positive. Of the 34 children (8.2%) who tested positive for HBoV, 21 (61.8%) were co-infected with another respiratory virus, mainly RSV. Human bocavirus was the only pathogen identified in four pneumonia and six bronchiolitis cases in March 2005 and January 2007, respectively. Human bocavirus was also detected in one child hospitalized with gastroenteritis and in another with erythema.. In the examined population, HBoV was the third most common virus detected but with a high rate of co-infection with other respiratory viruses. Human bocavirus appeared to be the etiological agent in some pneumonia and bronchiolitis cases in which tests for all likely respiratory pathogens were negative.

Topics: Adolescent; Bocavirus; Child; Child, Hospitalized; Child, Preschool; Erythema; Female; Gastroenteritis; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Nasal Lavage Fluid; Parvoviridae Infections; Prevalence; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rhinovirus; Rome

Limited information is available on the viral aetiology of influenza-like illness (ILI) in Southern European countries. Hereby we report the main findings of a survey conducted in the area of Rome during the 2004-2005 winter season.ILI cases were defined as individuals with fever >37.5 degrees C and at least one constitutional symptom and one respiratory symptom, recruited during the survey period. Influenza and other respiratory viruses were identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on throat swabs. Basic individual information was collected through a standard form. Of 173 ILI cases enrolled, 74 tested positive for one virus, and two tested positive for two viruses. Overall, 33.5% of the cases were positive for influenza viruses, 5.2% for adenoviruses, 3.5% for parainfluenza viruses, 1.7% for coronaviruses, and 1.2% for the respiratory syncitial virus. The proportion of influenza virus detection was higher in the 'high influenza activity' period. The distribution of viral agents varied across age groups, influenza viruses being more likely to be detected in younger patients. Viral pathogens were identified in less than 50% of ILI cases occurred during a high activity influenza season. The detection of other than influenza viruses was sporadic, without evidence of large outbreaks due to specific agents.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Health Surveys; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Influenza, Human; Male; Middle Aged; Orthomyxoviridae; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rome; Seasons

The relationship between childhood tic disorders and group A streptococcal (GAS) infections has been recently investigated by several research groups, but no systematic evaluation of laboratory indicators of GAS infections has been provided.. The aim of our study was to seek clinical and laboratory evidence of GAS infections in a large population of children affected with tic disorders.. This investigation was a case-control study: 150 consecutive children presenting with tics were investigated for clinical and laboratory signs of streptococcal infections on the occasion of their first neuropsychiatric consultation. To compare the rate of exposition to GAS in a similar population, a control group of 150 children without tic disorders was examined during the same period.. In children with tics, mean antistreptolysin O (ASO) titer (434 +/- 338 IU) was significantly higher compared with that of control subjects (155 +/- 126 IU); 38% of the children with tics compared with 2% of the control subjects (P <.001) had ASO titers > or =500 IU. Twenty-six children with tics (17%) had throat cultures positive for GAS, but in all cases, only few colonies per plate were isolated. Among the strains isolated, no prevalent T pattern or M type was observed. In children with tics a positive correlation between ASO titers and severity of tic disorder (measured by the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale) was found.. Our results suggest that children with tic disorder could be a unique population in which GAS infection, or at least the exposure to streptococcal antigens, is correlated to the neurobehavioral disorder. Moreover, our data indicate a relationship between the severity of tic disorder and the magnitude of the serologic response to GAS antigens.

Topics: Antistreptolysin; Case-Control Studies; Child; Female; Hospitals, University; Humans; Male; Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; Prevalence; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rome; Seasons; Severity of Illness Index; Streptococcal Infections; Streptococcus pyogenes; Tic Disorders

Most of the evidence regarding the association between particulate air pollution and emergency room visits or hospital admissions for respiratory conditions and asthma comes from the USA. European time-series analyses have suggested that gaseous air pollutants are important determinants of acute hospitalization for respiratory conditions, at least as important as particulate mass. The association between daily mean levels of suspended particles and gaseous pollutants (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone) was examined. The daily emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in the metropolitan area of Rome during 1995-1997 were also recorded. Daily counts of hospital admissions for total respiratory conditions (43 admissions day(-1)), acute respiratory infections including pneumonia (18 day(-1)), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (13 day(-1)), and asthma (4.5 day(-1)) among residents of all ages and among children (0-14 yrs) were analysed. The generalized additive models included spline smooth functions of the day of study, mean temperature, mean humidity, influenza epidemics, and indicator variables for day of the week and holidays. Total respiratory admissions were significantly associated with same-day level of NO2 (2.5% increase per interquartile range (IQR) change, 22.3 microg x m(-3)) and CO (2.8% increase per IQR, 1.5 mg x m(-3)). No effect was found for particulate matter and SO2, whereas O3 was associated with admissions only among children (lag 1, 5.5% increase per IQR, 23.9 microg x m3). The effect of NO2 was stronger on acute respiratory infections (lag 0, 4.0% increase) and on asthma among children (lag 1, 10.7% increase). The admissions for all ages for asthma and COPD were associated only with same-day level of CO (5.5% and 4.3% increase, respectively). Multipollutant models confirmed the role of CO on all respiratory admissions, including asthma and COPD, and that of NO2 on acute respiratory infections. Among children, O3 remained a strong indicator of acute respiratory infections. Carbon monoxide and photochemical pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, ozone) appear to be determinants of acute respiratory conditions in Rome. Since carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are good indicators of combustion products from traffic related sources, the detected effect may be due to unmeasured fine and ultrafine particles.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Air Pollution; Asthma; Child; Child, Preschool; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Admission; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Respiratory Tract Infections; Risk; Rome; Urban Population

Topics: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Q Fever; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rome; Serologic Tests

Topics: Adolescent; Allergy and Immunology; Antibodies; Child; Coxsackievirus Infections; Enterovirus B, Human; Enterovirus Infections; Epidemiology; Geriatrics; Herpesviridae Infections; Humans; Incidence; Infant; Influenza, Human; Italy; Mumps; Orthomyxoviridae; Orthomyxoviridae Infections; Poliomyelitis; Psittacosis; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rome; Virus Diseases

Topics: Coxsackievirus Infections; Enterovirus B, Human; Enterovirus Infections; Epidemiology; Humans; Incidence; Influenza, Human; Italy; Orthomyxoviridae; Orthomyxoviridae Infections; Paramyxoviridae Infections; Poliomyelitis; Respiratory Tract Infections; Rome; Virus Diseases