Prevalence of different respiratory viruses detected by multiplex real time PCR in a tertiary care hospital, Kolkata

Background: Worldwide, respiratory viral infection is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the year. It is a serious cause of concern, particularly for older adults and those in the lower age group. Aim of the study: To detect a wide range of respiratory viruses by using multiplex Real Time PCR and also to corroborate epidemiological and clinical findings. Material and methods: Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs from 487 patients with respiratory tract infections were collected from January 2023 to December 2024 and tested for respiratory viral panel by multiplex Real Time PCR. Results: Majority of the patients affected from urban areas and within lower age group. Infection by respiratory viruses are found throughout the year but high infection rate was found in the month of March and April. It was found that human adenovirus was most prevalent (32.84%) followed by human rhinovirus, influenza A/H3N2, human parainfluenza and human influenza A virus among 414 positive samples by Multiplex Real Time PCR.Majority of patients had elevated CRP levels, which indicates the patients were suffering from an infection. Conclusion: As per our study, infected patients are mostly children below 10 years of age and predominantly infected with Adenovirus. The gold standard Multiplex Real-Time PCR method has revolutionized laboratory diagnosis with high detection sensitivity and simultaneous detection of multiple viruses in a short period of time.