Journal of Clinical and Cellular Immunology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9899
ISSN: 2155-9899
Doris E. Gomez Camargo
University of Cartagena,Colombia
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clin Cell Immunol
Background: Cartagena
(Colombia) is a tropical city in
need of improved surveillance
and quality of health services.
Etiological agents of respiratory
disease in this Caribbean region
is lacking. The objective of
this study was to characterize
the infectious causes of acute
respiratory disease in Cartagena.
Methods: Subjects who
attended one of five health
care centers in Cartagena were
invited to participate in the study
if they had fever during five days
or less in duration and either
one or more of the following
symptoms: sore throat, cough,
or runny nose. Upon obtaining
an informed consent, clinical
and epidemiological data and
a nasopharyngeal swab sample
were collected. All samples
were processed using the
Biofire® FilmArray® respiratory
panel using FilmArray 2.0®
equipment (BiofireDX, USA) at
UNIMOL laboratory, University of
Cartagena.
Results: 177 subjects (100
women, 77 men; 3 months
to 91 years old (yo)) were
enrolled from August 2017 to
February 2019. An infectious
agent was detected in 67%
of the participants (119/177;
68 women, 51 men), and a
single agent was detected most
frequently (85%; 101/119) while
there were cases of co-detection
of agents (15%; 18/119). The
three main agents identified and
the average age ± SD, were: 40%
human rhinovirus/enterovirus
(HRV/ENT; 56/139, 12.6 ± 19.2),
11% respiratory syncytial virus
(RSV; 15/139, 1.9 ± 2.4) and
9% human metapneumovirus
(HMPV; 12/139, 12.5 ± 19.5).
Viral co-detections included
HRV/ENT+RSV (5/18), HRV/
ENT+HMPV (4/18) and HRV/
ENT+ adenovirus (2/18). The
most frequently detected viruses
by age group were: RSV and
parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3) in
children under 5yo, HRV/ENT,
influenza A-H3 and influenza B
in children 6-17yo, and influenza
A-H3, Coronavirus OC43 and
PIV3 in 18-64yo.
Conclusions: Co-detections
were not frequently detected.
Unexpectedly, HRV/ENT was
detected in the majority of
participants with respiratory
disease, more than what has
previously been reported from
Colombia.
Doris E. Gomez Camargo is the Head of the Tropical Medicine Doctorate and the Research group UNIMOL (Unidad de Investigacion Molecular) classified as A1 by the National Administrative Department of Science Technology and Innovation (COLCIENCIAS) placed at the University of Cartagena at the Colombian Caribbean Region. She has published more than 50 papers in well-respected journals, and served on several Committees of Education at the National Education Ministry in Colombia. Her fields of research include: Molecular Biology, Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine, Microbiology, Public Health.
E-mail: dmtropical@unicartagena.edu.co