Influenza and other respiratory viruses
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Influenza Other Respi Viruses · Jan 2013
Impact of viral infections in children with community-acquired pneumonia: results of a study of 17 respiratory viruses.
Little is known about the prevalence of viral infections in children with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). ⋯ The findings of this study highlight the importance of respiratory viruses (mainly RSV and rhinovirus) in children with CAP and show the characteristics of both the single infections and co-infections associated with the disease.
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Influenza Other Respi Viruses · Jan 2013
Mucosal antibody responses are directed by viral burden in children with acute influenza infection.
Influenza infection causes excess hospitalizations and deaths in younger patients, but susceptibility to severe disease is poorly understood. While mucosal antibodies can limit influenza-associated infection and disease, little is known about acute mucosal antibody responses to influenza infection. ⋯ B lymphocytes were abundant in lung tissue of infants with fatal acute influenza LRI. Among surviving children with H1N1 infection, only a small subset (11%) demonstrated H1N1 neutralizing activity in NPS. H1N1 neutralizing activity coincided with high local levels of antiviral IgM, IgG and IgA, greater detection of inflammatory mediators, and higher viral burden (P = 0·016). Patients with mucosal antiviral antibody responses demonstrated more severe respiratory symptoms including greater hypoxia (P = 0·0018) and pneumonia (P = 0·038). These patients also trended toward younger age, longer duration of illness and longer hospital stays. Prophylaxis strategies that heighten neutralizing antibody production in the mucosa are likely to benefit both older and younger children.
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Influenza Other Respi Viruses · Nov 2012
U.S. utilization patterns of influenza antiviral medications during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.
The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic in the United States occurred from April 2009 to April 2010. The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus was susceptible to neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir and zanamivir). ⋯ Weekly prescription utilization of all influenza antivirals used to treat influenza during the seasonal influenza outbreak followed the same trend of weekly reports of the number of visits for influenza-like-illnesses (ILI) by the Influenza Sentinel Provider Surveillance Network. The ILI epidemic curve resembled dispensed antiviral prescription trends (both overall and stratified by age), providing some corroboration for the surveillance data.
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Influenza Other Respi Viruses · Nov 2012
Pandemic influenza A(H1)pdm09 in hospitals and intensive care units - results from a new hospital surveillance, Germany 2009/2010.
The pandemic influenza A(H1)pdm09 (PI) was introduced to Germany in April 2009. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) implemented a nationwide voluntary hospital sentinel surveillance for to assess the burden and severity of PI. ⋯ The surveillance started shortly after the PI peak, which explains the small number of PI cases. The burden of PI disease was low, but higher in ICUs with a high proportion of severe cases needing ventilation and ECMO treatment. A continuous hospital surveillance system could be helpful to measure the burden of severe community-acquired infections.