Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory tract infections are very common and can be caused by many pathogens. The aim of this study was to understand the characteristics of multi-pathogen infections of respiratory tract infections during the seasonal changes in winter and spring in Xinjiang. METHODS: Throat swab samples were collected from 2791 patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) and hospitalized severe acute respiratory tract infection (SARI) in Xinjiang from January 2024 to May 2024 for multi-pathogen detection. Then, the infection frequency of pathogens and their distribution characteristics in different months, genders, regions and case classifications were analyzed. RESULTS: The positive infection rate of pathogens in 2791 patients was 48.30% (1348/2791). The proportion of patients infected with respiratory pathogens in the 0-9 age group was the highest. Of all pathogens detected, MP was most common in positive patients (22.03%). The highest frequency of multiple infections was SPn. RSV, FluA and FluB were the main infectious pathogens in January and February. The number of RV, HPIV and MP infections showed an increasing trend from January to May. Compared to female patients, male patients are more likely to be infected with ADV and SPn. Compared with hospitalized SARI patients, outpatient and emergency ILI patients were more susceptible to infection with ADV and FluB. However, hospitalized SARI patients were more susceptible to infection with RSV and MP. The positive infected patients mainly came from northern Xinjiang (60.83%). Compared with other regions, the proportion of ADV positive patients in northern Xinjiang was higher. CONCLUSION: This study revealed the distribution characteristics of pathogen infection in patients with respiratory tract infections in different months, genders, regions and case classifications during the seasonal changes of winter and spring in Xinjiang for the first time, which is helpful to formulate more effective treatment strategies and preventive measures. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: not applicable.