Epidemiology and Etiology of Viral Acute Respiratory Infections Among Children in Al-Ahsa Province - Saudi Arabia

Abdullah Al Ruwaished, Maryam; Gharbi, Jawhar; Al Ahmed, Khaled; Mohamed Ali, Ali; Ben M'hadheb, Manel

doi:10.30699/ijmm.17.6.638

year 17, Issue 6 (November - December 2023) Iran J Med Microbiol 2023, 17(6): 638-645 | Back to browse issues page

‎ 10.30699/ijmm.17.6.638

Mendeley

Zotero

RefWorks

Abdullah Al Ruwaished M, Gharbi J, Al Ahmed K, Mohamed Ali A, Ben M'hadheb M. Epidemiology and Etiology of Viral Acute Respiratory Infections Among Children in Al-Ahsa Province - Saudi Arabia. Iran J Med Microbiol 2023; 17 (6) :638-645
URL: http://ijmm.ir/article-1-2221-en.html

Epidemiology and Etiology of Viral Acute Respiratory Infections Among Children in Al-Ahsa Province - Saudi Arabia

Maryam Abdullah Al Ruwaished¹

, Jawhar Gharbi

², Khaled Al Ahmed³

, Ali Mohamed Ali¹

, Manel Ben M'hadheb⁴

1- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
2- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia , jagharbi@kfu.edu.sa
3- Department of Polyclinic, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
4- Virology and Antiviral Strategies Research Unit UR17ES30, Higher Institute of Biotechnology, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia

Abstract: (925 Views)

Background and Aim: Respiratory viruses are the most causative agents of disease in humans, with a significant impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide, mainly in children. The main objective of this work is to study the epidemiology and the etiology of common acute respiratory infections (ARI) among children in the province of Al-Ahsa in Saudi Arabia.
Materials and Methods: In the current work, we tested 83 oropharyngeal specimens from December 2021 to June 2022, collected from pediatric patients aged between 1 and 13 years in Al-Ahsa province in Saudi Arabia. Multiplex PCR/RT-PCR was used to detect respiratory viruses, including human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (hRSV-A), Influenza Virus A and B (INFA and INFB), human Adenovirus (hAdV), human Enterovirus (hEV), human Rhinovirus (hRV), human Parainfluenza Virus (hPIV3), and human Bocavirus (hBoV).
Results: Of 83 oropharyngeal specimens, 58 (69.88%) were positive, with a higher percentage among children ≤ 5 years. hRV and hRSV-A were predominant at 31.33% and 24.1%, respectively, followed by hEV (18.1%), hPIV3 (13.25%), and hAdV (8.43%). Co-infection represented a high percentage, with 25.3% of all samples. hEV was the most virus detected as a co-infection. Noteworthy, respiratory viruses, including hRV, hPIV3, and hAdV increased in spring, while hRSV-A and hEV increased in winter. Rhinorrhea and cough were the most frequent symptoms among patients with positive samples, especially with hRV patients. On the other hand, fever was more prevalent in hRSV-A and hEV patients than in others. Noteworthy, dyspnea/tachypnea was more frequently associated with hPIV3 than other viruses.
Conclusion: Results demonstrated an important prevalence of acute respiratory infections among children and improved data on the epidemiology of respiratory viruses among children living in Al-Ahsa province in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI), Respiratory Viruses, Multiplex PCR, Epidemiology

Full-Text [PDF 616 kb] (325 Downloads) | | Full-Text (HTML) (179 Views)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Medical Virology
Received: 2023/09/19 | Accepted: 2023/12/12 | ePublished: 2024/01/29

References

1. Rana JS, Khan SS, Lloyd-Jones DM, Sidney S. Changes in mortality in top 10 causes of death from 2011 to 2018. J Gen Intern Med. 2021;36(8):2517-8. [DOI:10.1007/s11606-020-06070-z] [PMID] [PMCID]

2. Kim JK, Jeon J-S, Kim JW, Rheem I. Epidemiology of respiratory viral infection using multiplex RT-PCR in Cheonan, Korea (2006-2010). J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2013;23(2):267-73. [DOI:10.4014/jmb.1212.12050] [PMID]

3. Turunen R, Koistinen A, Vuorinen T, Arku B, Söderlund Venermo M, Ruuskanen O, et al. The first wheezing episode: respiratory virus etiology, atopic characteristics, and illness severity. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2014;25(8):796-803. [DOI:10.1111/pai.12318] [PMID] [PMCID]

4. Al-Ayed MS, Asaad AM, Qureshi MA, Ameen MS. Viral etiology of respiratory infections in children in southwestern Saudi Arabia using multiplex reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Saudi Med J. 2014;35(11):1348.

5. Amer HM, Alshaman MS, Farrag MA, Hamad ME, Alsaadi MM, Almajhdi FN. Epidemiology of 11 respiratory RNA viruses in a cohort of hospitalized children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. J Med Virol. 2016;88(6):1086-91. [DOI:10.1002/jmv.24435] [PMID] [PMCID]

6. Jans DA, Ghildyal R. Rhinoviruses: Methods and protocols. Vol. 18. 1st Ed. Humana Publication US. 2015. [DOI:10.1007/978-1-4939-1571-2]

7. Pawełczyk M, Kowalski ML. The Role of Human Parainfluenza Virus Infections in the Immunopathology of the Respiratory Tract. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2017;17(3):article number 16. [DOI:10.1007/s11882-017-0685-2] [PMID] [PMCID]

8. Zhou D, Wang Q, Liu H. Coronavirus disease-19 and the gut-lung axis. Int J Infect Dis. 2021;113:300-7. [DOI:10.1016/j.ijid.2021.09.013] [PMID] [PMCID]

9. Kutter JS, Spronken MI, Fraaij PL, Fouchier RA, Herfst S. Transmission routes of respiratory viruses among humans. Curr Opin Virol. 2018;28:142-51. [DOI:10.1016/j.coviro.2018.01.001] [PMID] [PMCID]

10. Pica N, Bouvier NM. Environmental factors affecting the transmission of respiratory viruses. Curr Opin Virol. 2012;2(1):90-5. [DOI:10.1016/j.coviro.2011.12.003] [PMID] [PMCID]

11. Liu Y, Sheng J, Baggen J, Meng G, Xiao C, Thibaut HJ, et al. Sialic acid-dependent cell entry of human enterovirus D68. Nat Commun. 2015;6(1):8865. [DOI:10.1038/ncomms9865] [PMID] [PMCID]

12. Lyle C, McCormick F. Integrin αvβ5 is a primary receptor for adenovirus in CAR-negative cells. Virol J. 2010;7(1):1-13. [DOI:10.1186/1743-422X-7-148] [PMID] [PMCID]

13. Ozawa M, Kawaoka Y. Crosstalk between animal and human influenza viruses. Annu Rev Anim Biosci. 2013;1(1):21-42. [DOI:10.1146/annurev-animal-031412-103733] [PMID] [PMCID]

14. Richard M, Fouchier RAM. Influenza A virus transmission via respiratory aerosols or droplets as it relates to pandemic potential. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 2015;40(1):68-85. [DOI:10.1093/femsre/fuv039] [PMID] [PMCID]

15. Mishra N, Fagbo SF, Alagaili AN, Nitido A, Williams SH, Ng J, et al. A viral metagenomic survey identifies known and novel mammalian viruses in bats from Saudi Arabia. PLoS One. 2019;14(4):1-22. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0214227] [PMID] [PMCID]

16. Im K, Mareninov S, Diaz MFP, Yong WH. An introduction to performing immunofluorescence staining. Biobanking methods Protoc. 2019;299-311. [DOI:10.1007/978-1-4939-8935-5_26] [PMID] [PMCID]

17. Aydin S. A short history, principles, and types of ELISA, and our laboratory experience with peptide/protein analyses using ELISA. Peptides. 2015;72:4-15. [DOI:10.1016/j.peptides.2015.04.012] [PMID]

18. Kuan CS, Yew SM, Hooi PS, Lee LM, Ng KP. Detection of respiratory viruses from ARTI patients by xTAG RVP fast v2 assay and conventional methods. Malaysian J Med Sci. 2017;24(5):33-43. [DOI:10.21315/mjms2017.24.5.4] [PMID] [PMCID]

19. Panda S, Mohakud NK, Suar M, Kumar S. Etiology, seasonality, and clinical characteristics of respiratory viruses in children with respiratory tract infections in Eastern India (Bhubaneswar, Odisha). J Med Virol. 2017;89(3):553-8. [DOI:10.1002/jmv.24661] [PMID]

20. Khamis FA, Al-Kobaisi MF, Al-Areimi WS, Al-Kindi H, Al-Zakwani I. Epidemiology of Respiratory Virus Infections Among Infants and Young Children Admitted to Hospital in Oman. J Med Virol. 2012;84(8):1323-9. [DOI:10.1002/jmv.23330] [PMID] [PMCID]

21. Yoshida LM, Suzuki M, Yamamoto T, Nguyen HA, Nguyen CD, Nguyen AT, et al. Viral pathogens associated with acute respiratory infections in central vietnamese children. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2010;29(1):75-7. [DOI:10.1097/INF.0b013e3181af61e9] [PMID]

22. Góes LGB, Zerbinati RM, Tateno AF, de Souza AV, Ebach F, Corman VM, et al. Typical epidemiology of respiratory virus infections in a Brazilian slum. J Med Virol. 2020;92(8):1316-21. [DOI:10.1002/jmv.25636] [PMID] [PMCID]

23. Fagbo SF, Garbati MA, Hasan R, AlShahrani D, AlShehri M, AlFawaz T, et al. Acute viral respiratory infections among children in MERS-endemic Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2012-2013. J Med Virol. 2017;89(2):195-201. [DOI:10.1002/jmv.24632] [PMID] [PMCID]

24. Eifan SA, Hanif A, AlJohani SM, Atif M. Respiratory tract viral infections and coinfections identified by AnyplexTM II RV16 detection kit in pediatric patients at a Riyadh Tertiary Care Hospital. Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:Article ID 1928795. [DOI:10.1155/2017/1928795] [PMID] [PMCID]

25. Yew SM, Tan KL, Yeo SK, Ng KP, Kuan CS. Molecular epidemiology of respiratory viruses among Malaysian Young children with a confirmed respiratory infection during 2014-2015. J Thorac Dis. 2019;11(11):4626-33. [DOI:10.21037/jtd.2019.10.69] [PMID] [PMCID]

26. Low YL, Wong SY, Lee EKH, Muhammed MH. Prevalence of respiratory viruses among paediatric patients in acute respiratory illnesses in Malaysia. PLoS One. 2022;17(8):e0265288. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0265288] [PMID] [PMCID]

27. Yassine HM, Sohail MU, Younes N, Nasrallah GK. Systematic review of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prevalence, genotype distribution, and seasonality in children from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Microorganisms. 2020;8(5):713. [DOI:10.3390/microorganisms8050713] [PMID] [PMCID]

28. Ahmed A, Haider SH, Parveen S, Arshad M, Alsenaidy HA, Baaboud AO, et al. Co-circulation of 72bp duplication group A and 60bp duplication group B respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) strains in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during 2014. PLoS One. 2016;11(11):e0166145. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0166145] [PMID] [PMCID]

29. Lin CY, Hwang D, Chiu NC, Weng LC, Liu HF, Mu JJ, et al. Increased detection of viruses in children with respiratory tract infection using PCR. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(2):564. [DOI:10.3390/ijerph17020564] [PMID] [PMCID]

30. Huang Y, Wang C, Ma F, Guo Q, Yao L, Chen A, et al. Human adenoviruses in paediatric patients with respiratory tract infections in Beijing, China. Virol J. 2021;18(1):1-9. [DOI:10.1186/s12985-021-01661-6] [PMID] [PMCID]

31. Liu W-K, Liu Q, Chen D-H, Liang H-X, Chen X-K, Huang W-B, et al. Epidemiology and clinical presentation of the four human parainfluenza virus types. BMC Infect Dis. 2013;13(1):1-8. [DOI:10.1186/1471-2334-13-28] [PMID] [PMCID]

32. Castañeda-Ribeyro A, Martins-Luna J, Verne E, Aguila-Luis MA, Silva-Caso W, Ugarte C, et al. High prevalence and clinical characteristics of respiratory infection by human rhinovirus in children from Lima-Peru during years 2009-2010. PLoS One. 2022;17(7):e0271044. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0271044] [PMID] [PMCID]

33. Kuitunen I, Artama M, Haapanen M, Renko M. Rhinovirus spread in children during the COVID‐19 pandemic despite social restrictions-A nationwide register study in Finland. J Med Virol. 2021;93(10):6063-7. [DOI:10.1002/jmv.27180] [PMID] [PMCID]

34. Al-Romaihi HE, Smatti MK, Al-Khatib HA, Coyle P V, Ganesan N, Nadeem S, et al. Molecular epidemiology of influenza, RSV, and other respiratory infections among children in Qatar: A six years report (2012-2017). Int J Infect Dis. 2020;95:133-41. [DOI:10.1016/j.ijid.2020.04.008] [PMID] [PMCID]

35. Hellferscee O, Tempia S, Walaza S, Variava E, Dawood H, Wolter N, et al. Enterovirus genotypes among patients with severe acute respiratory illness, influenza-like illness, and asymptomatic individuals in South Africa, 2012‐2014. J Med Virol. 2017;89(10):1759-67. [DOI:10.1002/jmv.24869] [PMID] [PMCID]

36. Mizuta K, Abiko C, Aoki Y, Ikeda T, Itagaki T, Katsushima F, et al. Epidemiology of parainfluenza virus types 1, 2 and 3 infections based on virus isolation between 2002 and 2011 in Yamagata, Japan. Microbiol Immunol. 2012;56(12):855-8. [DOI:10.1111/j.1348-0421.2012.00507.x] [PMID]

37. Gwaltney JM. Rhinoviruses. In: Evans AS, Kaslow RA, editors. Viral Infections of Humans: Epidemiology and Control. Boston, MA: Springer US; 1997. p. 815-38. [DOI:10.1007/978-1-4899-0036-4_26]