BMC Infectious Diseases · Published 2026-08-03 · DOI 10.1186/s12879-026-14030-x
Noha A. Kamel, Heba M. El Sherif, Khaled M. Aboshanab, Mervat I. El Borhamy, Khaled M. Elsayed
Abstract Background Following the relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions post-COVID-19 pandemic, acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) have posed a substantial burden on healthcare settings, necessitating the implementation of rapid molecular diagnostic tools to improve pathogen identification and ensure early clinical management. Methods We conducted a retrospective study over one year (April 2024-March 2025) on 258 patients with ARTIs, admitted to a tertiary care hospital located in Egypt, to characterize their microbiological profile by Biofire respiratory 2.1 plus panel (RP 2.1). The demographic data and co-morbidities were systematically collected and analyzed from electronic medical records. Results Of 160 patients testing positive for at least one respiratory pathogen by RP2.1 plus, 147 (91.8%) were positive for viral pathogens, 8(5%) for mixed viral-bacterial detections, and 5(3.2%) for bacterial detections. Detection of a single respiratory pathogen was observed among 71.8% of cases, with a statistically significant difference during autumn (27%, p = 0.03), and co-detections with multiple pathogens were observed among 28.2% of patients. Human rhinovirus (HRV) was the most common detected virus (52.5%), followed by Parainfluenza virus 1–4 (PIV,16.9%), seasonal Coronavirus species (15.6%), severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and Influenza virus (INF) with equal frequency 10% each. Of 84 patients with HRV, 54 (64%) were infected with HRV only, and 30 (36%) had HRV co-detection. Patients with HRV co-detection were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with pneumonia than patients with HRV mono-detection (71.4% vs. 28.6%, p < 0.0001). Children in the age group less than 4 years old were more likely to be diagnosed with HRV co-detection than children with HRV only (60% versus 40% at p = 0.00). The most frequently detected respiratory pathogens with HRV were human coronavirus OC43 (4, 13.3%), followed by INFA (3,10%) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (3,10%). Conclusion The current surge of respiratory pathogens post-COVID-19 pandemic calls for continuous monitoring of seasonal as well as co-detection patterns to mitigate potential health care burden and guide targeted public health interventions. Clinical trial number Not applicable.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
Read the article at the publisher →
Kamel, N., Sherif, H., Aboshanab, K., et al. (2026). Etiological characterization of acute respiratory tract infections and associated co-infections using Biofire respiratory 2.1 Plus panel. BMC Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-026-14030-x