A comparative virological study of children in hospital with respiratory and diarrhoeal illnesses

Abstract

Between October 1963 and April 1965, 113 children with respiratory disease and 113 children with diarrhoeal disease were matched for age and time of entry into hospital and studied by virus isolation and serological techniques.Infections with respiratory syncytial (RS) virus, parainfluenza virus and herpes simplex virus respectively were found in 29, 11 and 12 children in the respiratory illness group but in only 1, 2 and 4 children in the diarrhoeal group. Rhinoviruses were isolated from 10 children in each group and in seven cases were associated with lower respiratory disease. Adenovirus infections were found in nine children with respiratory disease and eight with diarrhoea. Of the 40 enteroviruses isolated 16 were associated with respiratory disease and 24 with diarrhoea.A poor or delayed serological response in children under 4 months with RS virus infection was observed. Addition of unheated rabbit serum increased the sensitivity of the neutralization test with RS virus.These findings indicate that respiratory syncytial and parainfluenza virus infections were clearly associated with respiratory illness but the pathogenic role of the other viruses was not clear.