Abstract
Humen Respiratory Syncytial Virus (HRSV) causes acute respiratory tract infections in newborns and young children, which can result in serious consequences.. The aimof the study was to investigate the prevalence of HRSV in children below 5 years with respiratory infections and understand its correlations with demographic parameters. The studyinvolved 180 children with Respiratory tract infections aged between 2 months to 5 years. Serum specimens were collected and screened for HRSV IgM and IgG antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) kits. TheResults showed that Humen respiratory synsycial virus IgM antibody found in 37(20.55%), with a significant correlation with age (P<0.05). While, Humen respiratory synsycial virusIgG antibody was positive in 29(16,11%) patients. , Humen respiratory synsycial virusIgM positivity was higher among children with allergies (72.97%), asthma (8.11%), bronchitis (18.92%). Also, children living in smoking environment had the highest positivity rate of IgM (62.16%) and IgG (62.07%). High IgM and IgG antibodies were recorded in patients with wheezing chest, and on mechanical ventilator P<0.05. In conclusion, the study demonstrate seroprevlance of HRSV infection in children with RTIs.
Keywords
children
hRSV
Kirkuk
Prevalence
RTI