Objective To analyze the epidemiologial characteristics of 7 common respiratory viruses, including influenza A virus, influenza B virus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus and human parainfluenza virus type 1, type 2 and type 3, among children in Songjiang, Shanghai, and to provide the reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment, epidemic surveillance and prevention.Methods Nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected from 1 981 children presenting influenza-like symptoms in Songjiang, Shanghai, and were determined by direct fluorescent antibody staining(DFA) for the 7 common respiratory viruses. The positive rates were calculated and compared with different age groups and season groups. Results The positive rates of influenza A virus, influenza B virus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus and human parainfluenza virus type 1, type 2 and type 3 were 4.3%, 2.8%, 11.0%, 0.4%, 1.5%, 0.1% and 3.2%, respectively. The positive rates of the 7 common respiratory viruses were most common in winter and spring (27.5% and 23.0%). There was statistical significance for the positive rates with different seasons (P<0.05). Except for human parainfluenza virus type 1 and type 2 and adenovirus, the positive rates of the remaining 4 respiratory viruses were statistically significant with different season groups (P<0.05). There was statistical significance in the positive rates of the 4 age groups (P<0.01), and the positive rates of the 7 common respiratory viruses were most common in 3-5-year-old group and 0-2-year-old group (27.7% and 24.8%). Conclusions Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common virus among children with influenza-like symptoms. Winter and spring are the epidemic seasons for the 7 common respiratory viruses in Songjiang, Shanghai. Children under 5-year-old are susceptible to these viruses.
