Surveillance of Viral Diseases in a Pediatric Population and Development of Respiratory Virus Vaccines

摘要

Surveillance of acute respiratory illness (ARI) and other acute infectious diseases of suspected viral etiology was started at the Children's Hospital Medical Center of the East Bay, Oakland, California, in October, 1968. Of 365 hospitalized cases of infectious diseases for which laboratory tests have been completed, about two-thirds were diagnosed as ARI. The myxoviruses (influenza, parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial) were the most important etiologic agents found in children hospitalized with an ARI diagnosis. They accounted for nearly half of all the respiratory illnesses studied. No other virus group accounted for more than 5% of total admissions. A marked difference in the age distribution of children with influenza type A2 infections (mostly infants) was observed compared to those who had an influenza type B infection (mostly older children). Preliminary laboratory studies were concerned with selection of temperature sensitive mutants of parainfluenza viruses which might have potential use in attenuated live virus vaccines. Conditions for plaque formation by selected parainfluenza virus strains were established and the low temperature tolerance was determined. (Author)