Viral agents, like Influenza virus A and B, Parainfluenza, Adenovirus and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) are the main cause of acute respiratory infection (ARI) and are held responsible for high levels of morbidity among children and senior citizens. The aim of this study is to evaluate the importance of these viruses as promoters of ARI in patients of all ages from Professor Alberto Antunes University Hospital/UFAL and 2nd State Health Center in Maceió (AL). We will also study seasonality and association among respiratory virus. Nasopharyngeal secretion samples from children and adults and swabs from adults were collected from patients with ARI complaint from November 2000 to April 2002 and analyzed by Indirect Immunofluorescence, using a screening of monoclonal antibody (AcM) from Chemicon. Respiratory virus was detected in 207 (42.4%) of the 488 samples analyzed. In 126 samples, about half of the cases, the virus detected was the Influenza virus A. Multiple infection was found in 29 (5.9%) samples of which 9 (1.8%) was Adenovirus and SRV. Results for both gender and all age groups were similar so that we concluded that they were not correlated.
Influenza virus A and B; Acute Respiratory Infection; Immunofluorescence indirect
