Viral Etiology of Severe Pneumonia Among Kenyan Infants and Children

CONTEXT Pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparative estimates of the contribution of causative pathogens to the burden of disease are essential for targeted vaccine development. OBJECTIVE To determine the viral etiology of severe pneumonia among infants and c...

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Published in:JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association 2010-05, Vol.303 (20), p.2051-2057
Main Authors: Berkley, James A, Munywoki, Patrick, Ngama, Mwanajuma, Kazungu, Sidi, Abwao, John, Bett, Anne, Lassauniére, Ria, Kresfelder, Tina, Cane, Patricia A, Venter, Marietjie, Scott, J. Anthony G, Nokes, D. James
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Babies
Biological and medical sciences
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child, Preschool
Childrens health
Clinical outcomes
Female
General aspects
Hospitals, Rural - statistics & numerical data
Human viral diseases
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infectious diseases
Kenya - epidemiology
Male
Medical sciences
Odds Ratio
Pneumonia
Pneumonia - epidemiology
Pneumonia - virology
Prospective Studies
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections - complications
Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human - isolation & purification
Viral diseases
Viral diseases of the respiratory system and ent viral diseases
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Summary:CONTEXT Pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa. Comparative estimates of the contribution of causative pathogens to the burden of disease are essential for targeted vaccine development. OBJECTIVE To determine the viral etiology of severe pneumonia among infants and children at a rural Kenyan hospital using comprehensive and sensitive molecular diagnostic techniques. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective observational and case-control study during 2007 in a rural Kenyan district hospital. Participants were children aged 1 day to 12 years, residing in a systematically enumerated catchment area, and who either were admitted to Kilifi District Hospital meeting World Health Organization clinical criteria for severe pneumonia or very severe pneumonia; (2) presented with mild upper respiratory tract infection but were not admitted; or (3) were well infants and children attending for immunization. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The presence of respiratory viruses and the odds ratio for admission with severe disease. RESULTS Of 922 eligible admitted patients, 759 were sampled (82% [median age, 9 months]). One or more respiratory viruses were detected in 425 of the 759 sampled (56% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 52%-60%]). Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was detected in 260 participants (34% [95% CI, 31%-38%]) and other respiratory viruses were detected in 219 participants (29%; 95% CI, 26%-32%), the most common being Human coronavirus 229E (n = 51 [6.7%]), influenza type A (n = 44 [5.8%]), Parainfluenza type 3 (n = 29 [3.8%]), Human adenovirus (n = 29 [3.8%]), and Human metapneumovirus (n = 23 [3.0%]). Compared with well control participants, detection of RSV was associated with severe disease (5% in control participants; adjusted odds ratio, 6.11 [95% CI, 1.65-22.6]) while collectively, other respiratory viruses were not associated with severe disease (23% in control participants; adjusted odds ratio, 1.27 [95% CI, 0.64-2.52]). CONCLUSION In a sample of Kenyan infants and children admitted with severe pneumonia to a rural hospital, RSV was the predominant viral pathogen.
ISSN:0098-7484
1538-3598
DOI:10.1001/jama.2010.675