Epidemiological analysis of respiratory virus infections in Sichuan Province from 2017 to 2023
10.3760/cma.j.cn112309-20240419-00137
- VernacularTitle:2017—2023年四川省呼吸道病毒感染的流行病学特征分析
- Author:
Zhonghao WANG
1
;
Lan YANG
;
Siying WU
;
Lijuan WU
;
Xiaoxian LI
;
Minjin WANG
Author Information
1. 四川大学华西医院实验医学科,华西医院临床检验医学研究中心,四川省医学检验临床医学研究中心,成都 610041
- Keywords:
Respiratory virus;
COVID-19;
Influenza;
Mixed infection
- From:
Chinese Journal of Microbiology and Immunology
2024;44(7):573-579
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of respiratory virus infections in Sichuan from 2017 to 2023, and investigate the changes in detection rates of various viruses in different periods and age groups.Methods:The study included 41 516 patients with acute respiratory infections. Clinical laboratory results of these patients were retrospectively collected to calculate the detection rates of various viruses. The epidemiological characteristics of respiratory virus infections before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of mixed infections, and the detection rates in different seasons and age groups were analyzed.Results:The overall detection rate of respiratory viruses was 23.35% (9 696/41 516), with influenza A virus (8.47%, 3 515/41 516), rhinovirus (7.13%, 2 961/41 516), and influenza B virus (2.04%, 846/41 516) being the most prevalent. The highest detection rate was observed in children aged 0-14 years (48.62%, 1 429/2 939), while the detection rates in young, middle-aged, and elderly individuals were similar [21.00% (1 482/7 057), 22.06% (3 828/17 350), 20.33% (2 685/13 205)]. The detection rate of influenza A virus dropped to 1.35% (253/18 717) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and rebounded to 13.05% (1 560/11 953) after the pandemic. A similar pattern was observed in other viruses such as human metapneumovirus, influenza B virus, coronavirus, and respiratory syncytial virus, with significant reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent increases that even exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The detection rates of adenovirus, bocavirus, and rhinovirus gradually decreased over time, while the prevalence of parainfluenza virus remained stable, indicating a less significant impact of COVID-19 on these viruses. Higher detection rates were observed in autumn (28.90%, 2 324/8 041) and winter (26.52%, 4 093/15 433) as compared to that in spring (17.61%, 1 848/10 494) and summer (18.96%, 1 431/7 548), suggesting significant seasonal impacts on virus detection rates ( P<0.001). This study identified 8 666 cases of single-virus infections, 948 double infections, 77 triple infections, and five quadruple infections. Co-infection of bocavirus and rhinovirus was the most common type of double infections (17.41%, 165/948), and 59.60% (565/948) of double infections involved rhinovirus. Conclusions:The overall detection rate of respiratory viruses is higher in autumn and winter than in spring and summer. The prevalence of some respiratory viruses such as influenza viruses decreases during the COVID-19 pandemic. People of different ages can develop multiple infections with rhinovirus being the most common in double infections.