Detection and clinical characteristics analysis of respiratory viruses in hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infections by a GeXP-based multiplex-PCR assay

Huang, Huanhuan; Chen, Suqing; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Hong, Linliang; Zeng, Yongbin; Wu, Bin

The hospitalized children were divided into four groups according to Table 3 . Overall, the positive detection rate was 50.33%, 36.11%, 28.81%, and 57.14% in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively. Viral infections were more likely to occur in winter-spring months than in the summer-autumn months (52.51% vs 33.53%, χ 2 = 13.830, P = .000). It should be noted that HADV occurred more frequently in summer. HRSV was detected almost throughout the year. Other viruses occurred almost sporadically throughout the year without obvious seasonal trends. Currently, nucleic acid amplification techniques (NAATs) (such as PCR and multiplex PCR) have been increasingly used for identification of pathogens in infectious respiratory diseases 7 ; and one of the multiplex-PCR technology, GenomeLab gene expression profiler genetic analysis system (GeXP)-based assay (developed by Beckman Coulter), has been adopted in the infectious pathogens diagnostics [10] [11] [12] ; this detection technique has been applied in clinical for over 5 years; however, more clinical application studies are still necessary, especially in southeast China. GenomeLab gene expression profiler genetic analysis system is a high-sensitive and specific analytical platform for high-throughput nucleic acid detection based on capillary electrophoresis separation technology, multiple gene analysis technology, and high-sensitivity laser-induced fluorescence technology. 10 The GeXP-based multiplex-PCR assay can easily detect and analyze up to 30 genes simultaneously in a single analysis by converting amplification with multiple primers to amplification with a pair of universal primers. 10 In this study, we used GeXP-based multiplex-PCR assay to detect 11 kinds of virus, as well as mycoplasma pneumonia and chlamydia pneumoniae in 386 samples from hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infection over a period of 1 year. It was a rapid, accurate, and high-throughput analytical method which can finish the detection process within 4 hours and may aid the pediatricians for early medical decision-making.