A Study on Pediatric Respiratory Tract Infections in Hospitalised Children from Chennai

Globally, acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. However, these infections remain poorly understood due to absence of affordable and effective diagnostic tools. In this study, viral acute respiratory tract infections were studied in hospitalised children up to 5 years of age (n = 256) using a commercial multiplex real time PCR. RSV (45.69%%), RV (17.88%), HBoV (7.95%), Influ B (7.28%), HMPV (6.6%), HPIV3 (5.96%) and Influ A virus (3.97%) were the common etiological agents detected. There was no significant correlation between the clinical signs and symptoms in patients with and without a viral aetiology. Multiplexed real time PCR is an important tool for early detection of viral agents of paediatric ARTI.