Journal of Advances in Medical and Biomedical Research

en Co-infection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Influenza Virus in Iranian Pediatric Patients Hospitalized with Suspected COVID-19: A Comparative Analysis of Clinical Characteristics Medical Biology Medical Biology مقاله پژوهشی Original Research Article Background and Objectives: Co-infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and either respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or influenza virus may increase disease severity in children compared with single infections. In the present study, frequency of SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and Influenza virus infections and co-infections was examined and compared with the patients' laboratory and clinical characteristics. Materials and Methods: Three hundred thirty-seven upper respiratory swab samples were obtained from hospitalized pediatric patients. Multiplex real-time RT-PCR was utilized as a diagnostic technique to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and the Influenza virus. The comparison of SARS-CoV2, RSV and influenza virus-positive groups were done by considering symptoms, clinical characteristics, and laboratory findings Results: SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and influenza virus were detected in 18 (5.3%), 9 (2.7%), and 34 (10.1%) of the 337 hospitalized children. Three cases of influenza virus and RSV mixed infection were found, and one case of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus co-infection was found. Fever in the influenza and SARS-CoV-2 positive groups was substantially greater than in the RSV positive group in terms of symptoms upon hospital admission (p = 0.024). Additionally, compared to RSV and influenza virus-positive groups, a significantly larger proportion of cases in the SARS-CoV-2 positive group reported fatigue (p = 0.032). Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2/Influenza virus co-infection and RSV/Influenza mixed infection cases exhibited minor respiratory symptoms, as did the all-respiratory viral co-infected patients. In our cohort, all four patients with respiratory viral co-infections (one SARS-CoV-2/Influenza and three RSV/Influenza) presented with mild respiratory disease, similar to the majority of single-infected cases.   Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Respiratory syncytial virus, Influenza virus, co-infection, Pediatric 17 17 http://journal.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-7292-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Mohammad Hossein Alijani mhalijani77@yahoo.com 5200319475328460088986 5200319475328460088986 No Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Farzin Sadeghi sadeghifarzin6@gmail.com 5200319475328460088987 5200319475328460088987 No Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran Sahar Sadr Moharerpour drsaharsadr@gmail.com 5200319475328460088988 5200319475328460088988 No Clinical Research Development Center, Amirkola Children's Hospital, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran. Ali Hasanzadeh ali72hassanzadeh@gmail.com 5200319475328460088989 5200319475328460088989 No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran Mohsen Mohammadi dr.mohamadi61@yahoo.com 5200319475328460088990 5200319475328460088990 No Non-Communicable Pediatric Disease Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran Zeinab Vosough vosoughz@gmail.com 5200319475328460088991 5200319475328460088991 No Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran Hossein Ghorbani Ghorbani.serita1403@gmail.com 5200319475328460088992 5200319475328460088992 Yes Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol