Abstract
Respiratory infections are among the leading causes of hospitalization and death among children worldwide. Traditional diagnostic methods lack the sensitivity and timeliness needed for early clinical diagnosis and treatment. This retrospective study analyzed respiratory pathogen results of 15,397 pediatric patients at Yongzhou Central Hospital between June 2023 and May 2024, with emphasis on age-specific and seasonal variations. Pathogens detected included influenza A (FluA), influenza B (FluB), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), human rhinovirus (HRV), and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP). The overall positivity rate was 77.0%. Single respiratory pathogen infections were detected in 52.0% of cases, while 25.0% had mixed infections. HRV exhibited the highest positivity rate (32.4%), followed by MP (20.9%), ADV (19.2%), RSV (14.1%), FluA (11.5%), and FluB (8.3%). Infection rates for FluA, FluB, and MP increased with age, peaking at 82.8% in school-aged children. RSV detection was the highest in infants (27.2%). ADV was most common in the preschool group (26.2%). Infection rate was the highest in winter (82.1%), followed by that in spring (76.7%). FLuA and FluB had a peak in winter. MP infections surged in summer (32.4%), and HRV is common in four seasons, with its prevalence peaking in spring and autumn. The incidence of respiratory pathogen infections among children varied according to age distribution and seasonal fluctuations. The findings provide a basis for accurate diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of these infections. IMPORTANCE: By analyzing the data of 15,397 cases of respiratory tract pathogens in children, the epidemic characteristics of six common respiratory tract pathogens in children of different ages and seasons were more comprehensively understood in this region. Proactive prevention and control measures should be taken in advance for their dominant pathogens in different months, such as community- and school-based health education, based on the epidemic and pathogenic characteristics of different pathogens, along with timely diagnosis and treatment to reduce the risk of transmission.