Source: Teoh Z, Toepfer AP, Rohlfs C, et al. Viral detection in children 80% had at least 1 respiratory virus detected, most commonly RSV, RV/EV, and PIV. Most viruses were detected in similar proportions pre- and post-covid emergence except for PIV, which was decreased in croup cases post-COVID-19 onset. This was hypothesized to be due to the proportional increased detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the same timeframe.Strengths of the study include its geographically diverse cohort, large number of cases, and multi-year investigation, which allowed for a cohesive comparison over time. Limitations include the concerns that study sites may not be entirely representative of the nation, reliance on coding for diagnosis, variability in diagnostic testing practices, and limited ability to correlate viral detection with clinical presentation.In children under 5 years old presenting with bronchiolitis, pneumonia, or croup, there is a high likelihood of identifying at least 1 viral pathogen.
A Wed, study studied this question.