Obermeier PE, Seeber LD, Alchikh M, Schweiger B, R. Incidence, Disease Severity, and Follow-Up of Influenza A/A, A/B, and B/B Virus Dual Infections in Children: A Hospital-Based Digital Surveillance Program. Viruses. 2022 Mar 14;14(3):603
Influenza virus (IV) coinfection, i.e., simultaneous infection with IV and other viruses, is a common occurrence in humans. However, little is known about the incidence and clinical impact of coinfection with two different IV subtypes or lineages ("dual infections"). We report the incidence, standardized disease severity, and follow-up of IV dual infections from a hospital-based digital surveillance cohort, comprising 6073 pediatric patients fulfilling pre-defined criteria of influenza-like illness in Berlin, Germany. All patients were tested for IV A/B by PCR, including subtypes/lineages. We assessed all patients at the bedside using the mobile ViVI ScoreApp, providing a validated disease severity score in real-time. IV-positive patients underwent follow-up assessments until resolution of symptoms. Overall, IV dual infections were rare (4/6073 cases; 0.07%, incidence 12/100,000 per year) but showed unusual and/or prolonged clinical presentations with slightly above-average disease severity. We observed viral rebound, serial infection, and B/Yamagata-B/Victoria dual infection. Digital tools, used for instant clinical assessments at the bedside, combined with baseline/follow-up virologic investigation, help identify coinfections in cases of prolonged and/or complicated course of illness. Infection with one IV does not necessarily prevent consecutive or simultaneous (co-/dual) infection, highlighting the importance of multivalent influenza vaccination and enhanced digital clinical and virological surveillance.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- Identification and characterization of a broadly neutralizing and protective nanobody against the HA1 domain of H5 avian influenza virus hemagglutinin 10 hours ago
- Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness among Primary and Secondary School Students in Shenzhen during the 2023/24 Influenza Season 10 hours ago
- Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of an inactivated bivalent vaccine containing two recombinant H1N1 and H3N2 swine influenza virus strains 10 hours ago
- Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies as effective therapeutics and prophylactics against lethal H10N7 avian influenza infection in a mouse model 1 days ago
- The Ongoing Epidemics of Seasonal Influenza A(H3N2) in Hangzhou, China, and Its Viral Genetic Diversity 1 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]