Epidemiological Characteristics of Respiratory Pathogens Among Children in the Hangzhou Region, China.

Abstract

Background: We aimed to evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of tested pathogens associated with respiratory infections in children.

Methods: We included 164,778 patients aged 0 - 16 years who were diagnosed with respiratory tract infections (RTIs) between January 2021 and December 2023 at the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. A lateral flow assay (LFA) was used to detect tested respiratory pathogens: mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP), human adenovirus (HADV), influenza A virus (IFVA), influenza B virus (IFVB), and human respiratory syncytial vi¬rus (HRSV).

Results: Among all patients, 59,243 (35.95%) were infected with at least one pathogen, 909 (1.53%) were co-infected with two pathogens, and 29 (0.05%) were infected with three. Except for HRSV, the positivity rate was higher in males than in females. IFVA had the highest detection rate across all age groups. The difference in viral infection positivity by age was statistically significant (χ² = 1,490.685, p < 0.05). IFVA and IFVB had the highest positivity rates in winter (26.48% and 12.87%, respectively), which showed statistical differences from the other three season groups (p < 0.05/6 = 0.008). The positivity rates of MP and HRSV were highest in autumn (1.93% and 4.64%, respectively).

Conclusions: The epidemiological characteristics of respiratory pathogen infections were significantly associated with gender, age, season, and prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. MP, HADV, IFVA, and IFVB were more prevalent in males than females. Overall positivity increased with age and was highest in winter. Positivity rates for all viral infections, except IFVA, declined after SARS-CoV-2 restrictions were lifted. These insights are vital for public health strategies aimed at mitigating respiratory infections in children.