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This Article Full Text (Papers in Press[PDF]) All Versions of this Article: jmm.0.011304-0v1 58/12/1616    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Google Scholar Articles by Agrawal, A. S Articles by Chawla-Sarkar, M. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Agrawal, A. S Articles by Chawla-Sarkar, M. Agricola Articles by Agrawal, A. S Articles by Chawla-Sarkar, M.

Comparative evaluation of real-time PCR and conventional RT-PCR during two year surveillance for Influenza and RSV among children with acute respiratory infections in Kolkata reveals distinct seasonality of infection

¹ National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata;

² Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi;

³ National Institute of Virology, Pune;

⁴ Dr. B. C. Roy Memorial Children Hospital;

⁵ National Institute of Science and Education, Bhubaneswar

⁶ E-mail: chawlam70{at}gmail.com

Received March 21, 2009
Accepted August 24, 2009

Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) are one of the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in young children all over the world. Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial viruses (RSV) are the predominant etiology during seasonal epidemics and thus rapid and sensitive molecular tests for screening & timely identification of epidemics are required. In this study we report comparison of real time PCR (Q-PCR) with conventional RT-PCR for parallel identification of Influenza A or B (Inf-A or -B) and RSV. A total of 1091 respiratory samples were examined from children with suspected ARTI during January 2007- December 2008. Of these 1091 samples, 275 (25.21%) were positive for either Influenza or RSV by Q-PCR compared to 262 (24%) positives by RT-PCR. Overall Inf-A, -B and RSV were detected in a total of 121 (11.075%), 59 (5.38%) and 95 (8.68%) samples respectively. In spite of overlapping clinical symptoms, RSV and Influenza showed distinct seasonal peaks. Inf-A positively and RSV, negatively correlated with rainfall and temperature. No distinct seasonality was observed in Inf-B infections. This is the first report of a systemic surveillance of respiratory viruses with seasonal correlation and prevalence rate from Eastern India. The two year comparative analysis also confirmed feasibility of using Q-PCR in developing countries, which will not only improve scope for prevention of epidemics but also provide crucial epidemiological data from the tropical regions.