ArticleBMJ open respiratory research2021
Aetiology of acute respiratory infection in preschool children requiring hospitalisation in Europe-results from the PED-MERMAIDS multicentre case-control study.
Article in BMJ open respiratory research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of common respiratory viruses of infants with respiratory tract infections in European countries in the past decade: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing between the pre-COVID-19, pandemic, and post-COVID-19 periods.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of Point-of-Care Testing for Respiratory Pathogens on Antibiotic Use in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2022Trial
- The prevalence and role of human respiratory syncytial virus in pediatric respiratory tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis of global data.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Article
- Burden of respiratory syncytial virus disease in infants and the potential value of maternal immunization in Greece.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Tryptophan-like side chain holding aptamers inhibit respiratory syncytial virus infection of lung epithelial cells.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Multiplex PCR Detection of Respiratory Tract Infections in SARS-CoV-2-Negative Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department: an International Multicenter Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Microbiology spectrum · 2022Article
- Longitudinal Household Assessment of Respiratory Illness in Children and Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.JAMA network open · 2022Article
- Profiling of humoral immune responses to norovirus in children across Europe.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Pathogen Profile of Children Hospitalised with Severe Acute Respiratory Infections during COVID-19 Pandemic in the Free State Province, South Africa.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
42 authors at 20 institutions in 14 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBoth pathogenic bacteria and viruses are frequently detected in the nasopharynx (NP) of children in the absence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) symptoms. The aim of this study was to estimate the aetiological fractions for ARI hospitalisation in children for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza virus and to determine whether detection of specific respiratory pathogens on NP samples was associated with ARI hospitalisation.
methods349 children up to 5 years of age hospitalised for ARI (following a symptom-based case definition) and 306 hospital controls were prospectively enrolled in 16 centres across seven European Union countries between 2016 and 2019. Admission day NP swabs were analysed by multiplex PCR for 25 targets.
resultsRSV was the leading single cause of ARI hospitalisations, with an overall population attributable fraction (PAF) of 33.4% and high seasonality as well as preponderance in younger children. Detection of RSV on NP swabs was strongly associated with ARI hospitalisation (OR adjusted for age and season: 20.6, 95% CI: 9.4 to 45.3). Detection of three other viral pathogens showed strong associations with ARI hospitalisation: influenza viruses had an adjusted OR of 6.1 (95% CI: 2.5 to 14.9), parainfluenza viruses (PIVs) an adjusted OR of 4.6 (95% CI: 1.8 to 11.3) and metapneumoviruses an adjusted OR of 4.5 (95% CI: 1.3 to 16.1). Influenza viruses had a PAF of 7.9%, PIVs of 6.5% and metapneumoviruses of 3.0%. In contrast, most other pathogens were found in similar proportions in cases and controls, including
conclusionRSV is the predominant cause of ARI hospitalisations in young children in Europe and its detection, as well as detection of influenza virus, PIV or metapneumovirus, on NP swabs can establish aetiology with high probability. PAFs for RSV and influenza virus are highly seasonal and age dependent.
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