Global Influenza Hospital-based Surveillance Network (GIHSN): results of surveillance of influenza and other respiratory viruses in hospitalised patients in Brazil, 2015

A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis of Viral SARI in Pregnant Women in Southern Brazil

Pregnant women (PW) are at a higher risk of diseases and hospitalization from viral respiratory infections, particularly influenza and SARS-CoV-2, due to cardiopulmonary and immunological changes. This study assessed the impact of viral respiratory infections on PW hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a cross-sectional study with 42 PW and 85 non-pregnant women (NPW) admitted with SARI to two tertiary hospitals between January 2015 and December 2019. The rates of virus prevalence, SARI hospitalization, length of hospital stay, oxygen supplementation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death were comparable between PW and NPW. A multivariate analysis showed that PW had a higher rate of viral SARI hospitalizations (OR = 2.37; 95% CI = 1.02-5.48) as compared to NPW, with the influenza virus being the most prevalent (aOR = 7.58; 95% CI = 1.53-37.66). The length of hospital stays (aOR = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.73-0.95) and admissions to the ICU (aOR = 0.028; 95% CI = 0.004-0.25) were lower in PW as compared to hospitalized NPW. The influenza virus had a greater impact on the frequency of SARI in the group of PW, and these had a better outcome than NPW due to the earlier antiviral treatment they received.

Evaluation of Hospitalized Patients with Community-Acquired Influenza-Like Illness During Two Influenza Seasons

Objective

Influenza is among the most important respiratory infections affecting all age groups and can lead to hospitalizations. We aimed to determine the frequency of influenza infections among acute admissions with influenza-like illness (ILI) and evaluate the demographic, clinical findings, and outcomes of patients with influenza.

Methods

This prospective, active surveillance study was conducted in a university hospital between 2015 and 2017. Patients hospitalized for at least 24 hours in the selected units with community-acquired ILI were screened according to certain influenza-predicting ICD-10 codes. Nasopharyngeal and pharyngeal swab samples were taken from patients who were eligible for the study. Patients tested for influenza with real-time polymerase chain reaction. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for data.

Results

Among 440 patients screened according to influenza-related ICD-10 codes, 112 were included. Influenza positivity was detected in 37 of the 112 patients. Clinical findings were similar between influenza positive and negative groups and also between influenza subtypes, excluding sore throat, which was more common in the H1N1 group. Alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and creatine kinase (CK) elevations were found to be significantly higher in the influenza-positive group. When influenza-positive patients with and without pneumonia were compared, the rate of vaccination in the same season was higher in patients without pneumonia than in patients with pneumonia (38.8% and 10.5%, respectively; p=0.04).

Conclusion

Integrating molecular tests detecting both influenza and other respiratory viruses into influenza surveillance programs can increase the efficacy and quality of these programs. The elevation of AST, ALT, and CK in influenza cases can be considered in distinguishing influenza from other ILI cases. Vaccination in the same season can reduce the risk of pneumonia in influenza-positive patients.

The role of human bocavirus as an agent of community-acquired pneumonia in children under 5 years of age in Fortaleza, Ceará (Northeast Brazil)

The human bocavirus (HBoV) is an agent of upper and lower respiratory infections, affecting mainly children under 5 years of age. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an important public health problem in developing countries, representing one of the main causes of hospitalizations and deaths in children. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of HBoV and the clinical and epidemiological characteristics in children diagnosed with CAP. For this purpose, nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from 545 children aged 0 to 60 months diagnosed with CAP between January 2013 and December 2014 in a reference pediatric hospital in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. The samples were subjected to PCR for detection of HBoV and parainfluenza 4 (PIV4) and indirect immunofluorescence for detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (AdV), influenza A and B (FLU A and FLU B), and parainfluenza 1, 2, and 3 (PIV1, PIV2, PIV3). Clinically, most CAP were non-complicated (487/545; 89.3%); however, 10.7% (58/545) of children were treated in the ICU/resuscitation sector. Among the total samples analyzed, 359 (65.8%) were positive for at least one virus surveyed and 105 (19.2%) samples had two or more viruses. HBoV was detected in 87 samples (15.9%), being the second most prevalent virus. RSV, AdV, FLU A, FLU B, and PIV 1-3 were detected in 150 (27.5%), 45 (8.2%), 30 (5.5%), 3 (0.5%), and 131 (24%) samples, respectively. The age average was 12.1 months in children infected with HBoV, and the most frequent symptoms were dyspnea and cough. In addition, 90.6% of HboV-positive children received antibiotics as empirical treatment. HBoV did not show any circulation pattern; however, it seemed to be more frequent in the first half of the year, totaling 68.9% of the cases. HBoV is a frequent agent of pneumonia in the child population studied.

Epidemiology of respiratory viruses in patients with severe acute respiratory infections and influenza-like illness in Suriname

Background

Influenza has been well studied in developed countries with temperate climates, in contrast to low‐ and middle‐income (LMIC) countries, thus hampering the effort to attain representative global data. Furthermore, data on non‐influenza respiratory infections are also limited. Insight in viral respiratory infections in Suriname, a tropical LMIC in South America, would contribute to improved local preventive measures and a better global understanding of respiratory viruses.

Methods

From May 2016 through April 2018, all patients (n = 1096) enrolled in the national severe acute respiratory infection and influenza‐like illness surveillance were screened for the presence of 10 respiratory viruses with singleplex RT‐PCR.

Results

The overall viral‐positive detection rate was 45.3%, specified as RSV (19.4%), influenza (15.5%), hMPV (4.9%), AdV (4.6%), and parainfluenza (3.8%). Co‐infections were detected in 6.2% of the positive cases. Lower overall positivity was observed in the SARI vs ILI surveillance and influenza prevalence was higher in outpatients (45.0% vs 6.7%), while RSV exhibited the reverse (4.8% vs 23.8%). Respiratory infections in general were more common in children than in adults (54.4% vs 29.5%), although children were significantly less affected by influenza (11.5% vs 22.7%). None of the respiratory viruses displayed a clear seasonal pattern, and viral interference was observed between RSV and influenza.

Conclusions

The comprehensive information presented for Suriname, including first data on non‐influenza respiratory viruses, displayed distinct differences between the viruses, in seasonality, within age groups and between SARI/ILI, accentuating the need, especially for tropical LMIC countries to continue ongoing surveillance and accumulate local data.

Typical epidemiology of respiratory virus infections in a Brazilian slum

Host population size, density, immune status, age structure, and contact rates are critical elements of virus epidemiology. Slum populations stand out from other settings and may present differences in the epidemiology of acute viral infections. We collected nasopharyngeal specimens from 282 children aged ≤5 years with acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) during 2005 to 2006 in one of the largest Brazilian slums. We conducted real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) for 16 respiratory viruses, nested RT‐PCR‐based typing of rhinoviruses (HRVs), and collected clinical symptoms. Viruses were common causes of respiratory disease; with ≥1 virus being detected in 65.2% of patients. We detected 15 different viruses during 1 year with a predominance of HRV (33.0%) and human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV, 12.1%) infections, and a high rate of viral coinfections (28.3%). We observed seasonality of hRSV, HRV and human coronavirus infections, more severe symptoms in hRSV and influenza virus (FLU) infections and prolonged circulation of seven HRV clusters likely representing distinct serotypes according to genomic sequence distances. Potentially unusual findings included the absence of human metapneumovirus detections and lack of typical FLU seasonal patterns, which may be linked to the population size and density of the slum. Nonetheless, most epidemiological patterns were similar to other studies globally, suggesting surprising similarities of virus‐associated ARI across highly diverse settings and a complex impact of population characteristics on respiratory virus epidemiology.

Large epidemiological study of respiratory viruses in children from one of the biggest Brazilian slums using sensitive molecular PCR assays

Viruses are common causes of respiratory disease in pediatric patients from a Brazilian slum

15 distinct viruses circulate in the Brazilian slum, with highest prevalence of rhinoviruses and human respiratory syncytial virus

The epidemiology of virus‐associated respiratory infections presents surprising similarities worldwide despite drastic differences in socioeconomic status and population characteristics

Post-discharge mortality in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury in a Brazilian hospital: a retrospective cohort

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective cohort.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the survival outcomes in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI).

SETTING

A teaching hospital in Brazil.

METHODS

A total of 434 patients diagnosed with TSCI (2004-2014) were included. Overall survival, standardized mortality ratios (SMR), and causes of death were assessed by Student's t-test, χ² test, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and Cox proportional-hazards regression.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up was 4.8 years (±3.3 years). Individuals with tetraplegia had a median survival of 11 years, with participants in the paraplegia group not reaching median survival. The overall mortality rate was 37 per 1000 person-years. Age-adjusted SMR was 28.8 (95% CI: 22.8-36). There were 77 deaths with 56 defined causes, of which pneumonia was the most frequent (35.7%). Combined infectious etiologies caused 55.3% of deaths. Multivariate analysis revealed higher mortality among individuals with tetraplegia vs. paraplegia in the first 2 years post injury (HR = 8.28, 95% CI: 2.76-24.80), after 2 years post injury (HR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.31-4.24), and in all years combined (HR = 3.36, 95% CI: 2.04-5.52).

CONCLUSION

Mortality among patients with TSCI was 28.8 times higher than in the reference population. In more than half of the cases, the cause of death was linked to infectious diseases. Pneumonia caused two times more deaths in individuals with tetraplegia than in individuals with paraplegia, with a higher impact in the first 2 years post injury. Reported findings indicate the need for a surveillance and prevention program with emphasis on vaccination and respiratory rehabilitation.