Virologic study of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children admitted to the paediatric department of Blida University Hospital, Algeria

Derrar, F.; Izri, K.; Kaddache, C.; Boukari, R.; Hannoun, D.

Viral respiratory tract infections are part of the paediatrician's routine. They most often occur in the form of an epidemic during the winter months. Many viruses may be involved and may be responsible for clinical pictures of different severity. Over the past 10 years, molecular biology techniques allowing the detection of the virus genome by PCR have made it possible to isolate many emerging viruses. Real-time PCR has revolutionized virologic diagnosis [5, 6] . In practice, ALRTI are rarely documented, yet the identification of respiratory viruses is useful and relevant because it could reduce the use of antibiotics, which are unnecessary in most cases but are widely prescribed. It should be possible to perform this virologic diagnosis, at least in cases of severe infections requiring hospitalization.