Human Parechoviruses Infections in Infants and Children Less Than 5 Years Old

Background: Human parechoviruses (HPeVs) often cause gastrointestinal or respiratory illness in infants and young children. Infected infants may present with a sepsis-like picture, often with central nervous system (CNS) involvement, which is clinically indistinguishable from bacterial sepsis. Use of HPeV real-time PCR is currently the preferred diagnostic tests for HPeV infections, as these assays are specific and have a sensitivity higher than that of cell culture.
Objectives: Test for HPeVs in infants and young children admitted to inpatient departments and/or pediatric intensive care units with severe acute respiratory distress. Describe the prevelance and clinical characteristics of infections caused by HPeVs.
Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out at Cairo University Specialized Pediatric Hospital. The study included 100 patients below 5 years old, admitted to PICU or inpatient departments with severe acute respiratory distress.
Results: 3 (3%) cases in 100 examined patients had positive nasopharyngeal swab for parechoviruses.
Conclusion: The inclusion of HPeV-specific PCR in the respiratory virus panel could further reduce duration of antibiotic use and duration of hospital stay.
Key Words: nasopharyngeal swab, parechoviruses, respiratory distress, HPeV real-time PCR.