The epidemiology of admission-requiring pediatric respiratory infections in a Japanese community hospital using multiplex PCR.

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the most common diseases globally among children. This study aimed to assess the epidemiology of admission-requiring pediatric RTI cases and to evaluate the effect of pathogen type on length of hospital stay (LOS) using the FilmArray® respiratory panel, a multiplex PCR test. The age-specific distribution and seasonality of viruses were investigated between March 26, 2018 and April 12, 2019. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of pathogen type and coinfection on LOS. Among 153 hospitalized RTI patients, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the leading cause of hospitalization in infants <12 months old (27.7%). Among 2-3 years olds, human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and parainfluenza were also major causes of hospitalization (22.6% and 22.6%, respectively). In the multivariable linear regression model excluding rhinovirus/enterovirus, there wasa a significant association of viral coinfection with longer LOS infection (p=0.012), while any types of single viral infection was not positively correlated with LOS. This study revealed the epidemiology of admission-requiring pediatric RTIs.