ArticleInternational journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases2021
Respiratory pathogen diversity and co-infections in rural Zambia.
Article in International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Identifying viral infections through metagenomic Next Generation Sequencing of undiagnosed respiratory fevers in Madagascar (2014-2019).BMC infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Sentinel surveillance of COVID-19 in 2024-2025 shows the persistence of Omicron circulation and the introduction of the XFJ recombinant in the Republic of Guinea.The Pan African medical journal · 2026Article
- Characterizing acute and persistent symptoms of COVID-19 among adults and children in rural Zambia, 2020-2022.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Viral and Bacterial Etiology of Common Respiratory Infections in Children in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Respiratory pathogens detected in specimens collected for COVID-19 surveillance in Zambia.Journal of public health in Africa · 2025Article
- A Situation Analysis of the Capacity of Laboratories in Faith-Based Hospitals in Zambia to Conduct Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance: Opportunities to Improve Diagnostic Stewardship.Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Community antibiotic consumption and associated factors in Lusaka district of Zambia: findings and implications for antimicrobial resistance and stewardship.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Hospital prescribing patterns of antibiotics in Zambia using the WHO prescribing indicators post-COVID-19 pandemic: findings and implications.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Prevalence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Among Children Under 5 Years of Age in Sub-Saharan Africa.Global pediatric health · 2024Review
- Respiratory viruses in rural Zambia during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.IJID regions · 2023Article
- Viral co-infection with human respiratory syncytial virus in suspected acute and severe respiratory tract infections during COVID-19 pandemic in Yaoundé, Cameroon, 2020-2021.Influenza and other respiratory viruses · 2023Article
- Potential co-infection of influenza A, influenza B, respiratory syncytial virus, andFrontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- Respiratory viruses in rural Zambia before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH · 2022Article
- Viral co-infections are associated with increased rates of hospitalization in those with influenza.Influenza and other respiratory viruses · 2022Article
- Influence factors for upper respiratory tract infection in Chinese rural children: A cross-sectional study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2022Article
- Attenuated infection by a Pteropine orthoreovirus isolated from an Egyptian fruit bat in Zambia.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Article
- Nosocomial Respiratory Infections in a Rural Zambian Hospital.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2021Article
- Epidemiology and clinical features of common community human coronavirus disease.Journal of thoracic disease · 2021Article
- The Complexity of Co-Infections in the Era of COVID-19.SN comprehensive clinical medicine · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThe role of respiratory co-infections in modulating disease severity remains understudied in southern Africa, particularly in rural areas. This study was performed to characterize the spectrum of respiratory pathogens in rural southern Zambia and the prognostic impact of co-infections.
methodsRespiratory specimens collected from inpatient and outpatient participants in a viral surveillance program in 2018-2019 were tested for selected viruses and atypical bacteria using the Xpert Xpress Flu/RSV assay and FilmArray Respiratory Panel EZ. Participants were followed for 3-5 weeks to assess their clinical course. Multivariable regression was used to examine the role of co-infections in influencing disease severity.
resultsA respiratory pathogen was detected in 63.2% of samples from 671 participants who presented with influenza-like illness. Common pathogens identified included influenza virus (18.2% of samples), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (11.8%), rhinovirus (26.4%), and coronavirus (6.0%). Overall, 6.4% of participants were co-infected with multiple respiratory pathogens. Compared to mono-infections, co-infections were found not to be associated with severe clinical illness either overall (relative risk (RR) 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-1.32) or specifically with influenza virus (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.14-4.46) or RSV infections (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.17-1.11).
conclusionsRespiratory infections in rural southern Zambia were associated with a wide range of viruses. Respiratory co-infections in this population were not associated with clinical severity.
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