Epidemiology of acute respiratory infections in children in Pudong, Shanghai: analysis of seven respiratory test results from 2018 to 2023

BACKGROUND: This study analyzed the results of seven respiratory pathogen tests to investigate their epidemiological characteristics in children and provide clinical evidence for the prevention and control of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in the pediatric population of Shanghai. METHODS: The test results for the seven pathogens (influenza A virus (FLUA), influenza B virus (FLUB), parainfluenza virus (PIV), adenovirus (ADV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) and Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP)) were collected from 40,606 pediatric patients exhibiting clear ARI symptoms at Shanghai Children's Medical Center, affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 2018 to December 2023 and retrospectively analyzed. Statistical analyses were conducted on positive detection rates, infection patterns, epidemic periods and variations based on sex and age. RESULTS: The overall positive detection rate for the seven respiratory pathogens was 22.57%. Compared with those in 2018, 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and 2023 (post-COVID-19), the rate significantly decreased during the pandemic period (2020-2022) (P*