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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1374571
This article is part of the Research Topic Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Action Plan on AMR View all 5 articles

Pediatric Respiratory Pathogen Dynamics in Southern Sichuan, China: A Retrospective Analysis of Gender, Age, and Seasonal Trends

Provisionally accepted
Qing Li Qing Li 1,2,3*Min Song Min Song 1,2,3Zhi Hu Zhi Hu 4Yinhuan Ding Yinhuan Ding 1,2,3Chengliang Huang Chengliang Huang 5
  • 1 Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China
  • 2 Sichuan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Molecular Diagnosis of Clinical Diseases, Luzhou, China
  • 3 Molecular Diagnosis of Clinical Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou, Luzhou, China
  • 4 Department of Medical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China
  • 5 Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Abstract Objective: To address the research gap in the epidemiology of pediatric respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in Luzhou, Southern Sichuan, China, by analyzing respiratory pathogens in a large pediatric cohort from 2018 to 2021, covering the pre- and during-COVID-19 periods. Methods: This study conducted a retrospective analysis of children with RTIs in Luzhou from July 2018 to January 2021. Strict exclusion criteria were applied to ensure an accurate representation of the pediatric population. Pathogen detection included viruses, bacteria, and atypical agents. Results: Pathogens were identified in 52.8% of 12546 cases. Viruses accounted for 32.2% of infections, bacteria for 29.8%, and atypical agents for 29.7%, with significant findings of Staphylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Age-related analysis indicated a higher incidence of bacterial infections in infants and viral infections in preschool-aged children, with atypical pathogens being most prevalent in 3 to 5-year-olds. Gender-based analysis, adjusted for age, revealed similar overall pathogen presence; however, females were more susceptible to viral infections, while males were more prone to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Notably, there was an unusual increase in pathogen cases during spring, potentially influenced by behavioral changes and public health measures related to COVID-19. Co-infections were identified as a significant risk factor for the development of pneumonia. Conclusion: The study provides essential insights into the epidemiology of respiratory pathogens in pediatric populations, emphasizing the need for healthcare strategies tailored to age, gender, and seasonality. The findings highlight the impact of environmental and public health factors, including COVID-19 measures, on respiratory pathogen prevalence, underscoring the importance of targeted diagnostic and treatment protocols in pediatric respiratory infections.

    Keywords: Respiratory Tract Infections, Pediatric epidemiology, pathogen prevalence, diagnostic strategies, public health policy, Southern sichuan

    Received: 22 Jan 2024; Accepted: 01 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Song, Hu, Ding and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Qing Li, Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.