PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Kathleen Jahn
AU  - Lilian Junker
AU  - Jörg Halter
AU  - Daiana Stolz
AU  - Michael Tamm
TI  - Seasonal variation of viral lower respiratory tract infections in immunocompromised patients undergoing diagnostic bronchoscopy
DP  - 2012 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P565
VI  - 40
IP  - Suppl 56
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P565.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P565.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40
AB  - Pulmonary infectious and non-infectious complications are frequent in immunocompromised patients. Multiplex PCR allows to make a better differentiation of viral infections in immunocompromised patients suffering from respiratory symptoms. We analysed the types of viral infection in a large cohort of patients undergoing diagnostic bronchoscopy for symptoms of LRT infection. Multiplex PCR for respiratory viral infection consisted of 13 viruses. 670 patients underwent a bronchoscopy with BAL from October 2009 to January 2012. 351 of the patients suffered from haematologic disorders, 157 underwent solid organ transplantation (including 137 lung transplantation, 10 kidney transplantation, 5 heart transplantation and 5 liver transplantation) and 174 were immunocompromised for other reasons (HIV, rheumatological diseases, interstitial lung disease). Overall respiratory viral infection could be documented in 212 cases (31.6%). The most frequent viruses were rhinovirus in 109 samples. A single viral infection was found in 196 cases (29.3%) whereas at least two viruses were detected in 16 patients (2.4%). Rhinovirus was found throughout the whole year whereas coronavirus, parainfluenza, RSV and hMPV were documented from November to April. There were only nine cases of adenovirus and eigth cases of influenza respectively. H1N1 was only present in the winter of 2009.Summary and conclusion: Multiplex PCR in BAL allows to diagnose rapidly viral infection in a high percentage of immunocompromised patients suffering from respiratory tract infection. Except for rhinovirus most viruses show seasonal pattern. However the “winter” period lasts for at least 6 months.