Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology
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Viruses are a frequent cause of upper respiratory tract infections in children. Like Taiwan, there were few virological surveillance systems for respiratory viral infections among children in developing countries. ⋯ The results of this study demonstrate that adenovirus and enterovirus are the two most common viruses isolated from pediatric outpatients with acute, febrile URTIs and can be identified throughout the year in northern Taiwan. Influenza viruses also can be identified throughout the year and during the epidemic, a child older than 5 years of age with acute febrile URTI is likely to be a case of influenza.
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The clinical significance and pulmonary pathogenicity of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in mechanically ventilated, critically ill patients are unclear. ⋯ Critically ill patients in whom HSV-1 from BAL is isolated, have about 40% chance of dying, mainly because of severe underlying disease and comorbidity, which may predispose to endogenous reactivation of the virus. There is no clinical evidence for direct cardiorespiratory pathogenicity and beneficial effects of antiviral therapy. HSV-1 isolated from lung secretions may thus be a marker rather than a mediator of severe illness.