Overview of Diagnostic Testing for Viral Respiratory Tract Infections in India

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the third most common cause of mortality and morbidity in the world and hence cause a considerable burden on the healthcare system. 1 Viruses cause most of the acute respiratory infections (ARIs).Among RTIs, lower RTIs (LRTIs) are more severe and are the fifth leading cause of mortality in the world. 2 The most common viruses causing respiratory illness include picornaviruses (rhinoviruses and enteroviruses), influenza viruses (Influenza A and Influenza B), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza viruses (PIVs), endemic human coronaviruses, adenoviruses, and human metapneumovirus (HMPV).Bocavirus and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are less common.3 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, focus at all levels was on monitoring SARS-CoV-2 from April 2020 to late 2022.Biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) laboratories with facilities to perform reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were set up all over India.As it waned, attention was also given to the seasonal respiratory viruses, which reemerged-Influenza A, Influenza B, their different subtypes, and RSV.