The clinical application of Filmarray respiratory panel in children especially with severe respiratory tract infections

BACKGROUND: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the common diseases in children and the routine detection methods frequently fail to identify the infectious pathogens especially for viruses. The Filmarray respiratory panel (FARP) can reliably and rapidly identify viruses and bacteria pathogens. This study is to evaluate the performance and clinical significance of FARP in children. METHODS: Children diagnosed with RTIs in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were enrolled in this study. Nasopharyngeal secretion (NPS) samples of these children were collected and the FARP assay for 17 pathogens and routine microbiological methods were performed. Clinical data of all patients was also collected and evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 90 children were enrolled into this study and 58 patients (64.4%) were positive for 13 pathogens by FARP, with 18 being detected positive with multiple-virus (31.3%, 18/58). Human rhinovirus/enterovirus (21.0%%, 17/58) were the predominant pathogen, followed by adenovirus (18.5%). Higher proportions of various pathogens were identified in the infant and toddler (0–2 years) groups with human rhinovirus/enterovirus being mostly virus. Adenovirus were common in the group aged 3–5 years, but only three pathogens including M.pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus, and adenovirus were also found in age group (6–14 years). Among 58 FARP positive patients, significant differences were found in antibiotic prescription and use of glucocorticoid between the single-organism-positive group and the multi-organism-positive group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, there was significant difference in use of anti-virus and usage of glucocorticoid between severe respiratory infections group and non severe respiratory infections group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that FARP can provide the rapid detection of respiratory virus and atypical bacteria for children, especially with severe respiratory tract infections.