Observational studyPloS one2023
RSV infection in children hospitalised with severe lower respiratory tract infection in a low-middle-income setting: A cross-sectional observational study.
Observational study in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- Time trends in the burden of non-COVID-19 lower respiratory tract infections among children aged 0 to 14 years.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Article
- RSV Infection in Refugees and Asylum Seekers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Epidemiologia (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Nasopharyngeal and Peripheral Blood Type II Interferon Signature Evaluation in Infants during Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionLow- and middle-income countries carry the largest burden of Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease, with most deaths occurring in these settings. This study aimed to investigate the burden of RSV disease in South African children hospitalised with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), with specific reference to incidence, risk factors, and co-infections.
methodsA database from a previous prospective study containing demographic, laboratory and clinical data on children hospitalised with LRTIs in Cape Town, South Africa, was used. A nasopharyngeal swab (NP) and induced sputum (IS) were tested for RSV PCR. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the study population, and a multivariable analysis of risk factors and co-infections was done.
resultsRSV was detected in 142 (30.9%; 95% CI 26.7-35.3) of the included 460 study children with LRTI. The median age of RSV-positive children was 4.6 (IQR 2.4-9.7) months compared to RSV-negative children of 10.5 (IQR 4.4-21.3) months, P = <0.001. Most cases occurred in autumn and winter with 126 (89%) cases over this period. IS demonstrated greater sensitivity for RSV diagnosis with 135 cases (95.1%) detected on IS and 57 cases (40.1%) identified on NP; P<0.001. The median length of hospital stay was 3.3 (SD 4.2) days in the RSV positive group and 2.7 (SD 3.3) days in the RSV negative group; P<0.001. The median number of detected viral pathogens was 1 (IQR 0-2) in RSV-positive children (when RSV was excluded from the count) compared to 2 (IQR 2-3) in RSV negative children; P<0.001. The presence of RSV was independently associated with a reduction in the frequency of most viruses tested for on PCR.
conclusionsRSV is common in children hospitalised with LRTI and mainly affects younger children. There is an urgent need to find an effective vaccine to prevent RSV pneumonia in children worldwide, especially in LMICs that carry the greatest burden of disease.
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