The following is a summary of “Respiratory viral infections from 2015 to 2022 in the HIVE cohort of American households: Incidence, illness characteristics, and seasonality,” published in the August 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Monto et al.
Viral respiratory illness, the most common acute illness, follows a predicted pattern over time.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic disrupted the typical pattern of viral respiratory illness incidence.
They established the HIVE (Household Influenza Vaccine Evaluation) study in 2010 to monitor influenza in Southeast Michigan households and later expanded the surveillance to include other respiratory pathogens. From 2015 onward, the study was conducted year-round, with participants reporting acute illness. Respiratory samples were collected to identify viral infections and calculate virus-specific incidence rates.
The results showed 1,755 participants in the HIVE study from 2015 to 2022, accumulating 7,785 person-years and documenting 7,833 illnesses. Post-pandemic rhinovirus (RV) and common cold human coronaviruses (HCoVs) were the most frequently identified viruses, with the incidence decreasing as age increased. Type A influenza had a similar incidence across age groups. Parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial viruses were less common overall, with human metapneumovirus being even less frequent. Incidence was highest in young children, though infections were frequently documented across all age groups. Seasonality followed patterns established decades earlier. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic significantly disrupted the patterns, except for RV and, to a lesser extent, HCoVs. During the first 2 years of the pandemic, RV incidence far exceeded that of SARS-CoV-2.
They concluded longitudinal cohort studies are crucial for understanding the differential impact of the pandemic on the incidence, seasonality, and characteristics of various respiratory viruses.
Source: academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiae423/7740476
