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Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal:

June 2001 - Volume 20 - Issue 6 - pp 574-581
Original Studies

Epidemiology of documented viral respiratory infections and acute otitis media in a cohort of children
followed from two to twenty-four months of age
VESA, SIRPA MD; KLEEMOLA, MARJAANA MD; BLOMQVIST, SOILE MSC ; TAKALA, AINO MD; KILPI, TERHI MD; HOVI, TAPANI MD

Abstract
Background. V iral upper respiratory infections (URIs) are considered major risk
factors for acute otitis media (AOM) in y oung children. We studied the epidemiology
and relativ e roles of different v iruses in respiratory infections in a cohort of 329
Finnish children followed from 2 months to 2 y ears of age.
Methods. A nasophary ngeal aspirate (NPA) was collected whenev er the child had signs
and/or sy mptoms of URI and tested for the presence of common respiratory v irus
antigens or infectiv ity /nucleic acid (only rhinov iruses). Possible repeated detections
of a giv en v irus during a 30-day period were considered to represent a single
designated v irus-specific episode. AOM and URI episodes were defined in a similar
way .
Results. At least one v irus was detected in 837 (41 .7 %) of the 2005 NPA specimens
ex amined. Rates of URI and v irus-specific episodes showed ex pected seasonal
v ariation with major peak occurrences coinciding with or preceding those of AOM. The
proportions of rhinov iruses, respiratory sy ncy tial (RS) v irus, parainfluenza v irus (PIV )
ty pe 3, influenza v irus A and adenov iruses were 63.1 , 1 4.7 , 6.7 , 6.7 and 6.2% of the
total of 7 61 v irus-specific episodes. Influenza v irus B, PIV 1 and PIV 2 were each
responsible for 1 % of the episodes. AOM was diagnosed in 87 0 URI cases (43.4%) and
in 43.3% of cases associated with a v irus-positiv e NPA. The latter figure was clearly
higher (57 .7 %) for RS v irus-positiv e specimens.
Conclusions. The seasonal coincidence of URI and AOM demonstrated the obv ious role
of URI in the pathogenesis of AOM. The occurrence of rhinov iruses and RS v irus in URI
was strikingly more common than that of any other v irus tested. Although
rhinov iruses were definitely the most frequently found v iruses in NPA specimens, the
association of RS v irus with concurrent AOM was relativ ely higher than that of any
other v irus.

2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

http://journals.lww.com/pidj/Abstract/2001/06000/Epidemiology_of_documented_viral_respiratory.6.aspx

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