Investigation of the Prevalence of Viral Infections in Children With Upper Respiratory Tract Diseases Referred to Mofid Children's Hospital in Tehran, 2022-2023 Publisher

Summary: Which viruses cause respiratory illness in children? In a 123-child hospital study, adenovirus was most common and infections peaked in winter. #RespiratoryViruses #ChildHealth

Haghparast S ; Elikaei A ; Ramzi S ; Karimi A ; Shamshiri A R ; Fahimzad S A ; Arshi S ; Ghanaiee R M ; Alebouyeh M
Source: Iranian Journal of Epidemiology Published:2026

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Various viral agents are causes of upper respiratory tract infections (URI) in children. Epidemiological study of their prevalence according to age, gender, season, and clinical symptoms is valuable for infection control and management of these infections. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, nasopharyngeal samples were collected from 123 children aged 1–19 years with URI at Mofid Children's Hospital during 2023–2024. Nucleic acid extraction was performed using the SIMBIO.lab kit, and cDNA synthesis and detection of 21 common respiratory viruses were done via Real-Time PCR with the FTD 21 kit. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. The symptoms and their correlation with specific viruses were also analyzed. Results: Respiratory viruses were detected in 66.7% (82 out of 123 people) of patients. The most prevalent viruses were adenovirus 48.8% (60 out of 123 people), enterovirus 15.4% (19 out of 123 people), rhinovirus 12.2% (15 out of 123 people), metapneumovirus 8.9% (11 out of 123 people), respiratory syncytial virus 3.3% (4 out of 123 people), and influenza B 2.4% (3 out of 123 people). Coinfection with two viruses occurred in 21.1% (26 out of 123 people) and with three viruses in 1.6% (2 out of 123 people). The highest infection rate was observed in winter (78.2%), indicating a significant seasonal difference. No significant differences were observed with respect to age or gender. Conclusion: Adenovirus was the most frequent virus in children with URI, higher than in previous studies, while other viral prevalence and associations with demographics and symptoms were consistent with past reports. © 2026 The Authors.