Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI), 2015

In the United States, disease surveillance is largely based on pathogen identification, and severe acute respiratory disease surveillance is most often focused on influenza. There is a gap in surveillance for non-influenza severe acute respiratory illnesses (SARI). In 2013, MDH established year-round SARI surveillance in hospitalized patients at three metropolitan area hospitals. Residual respiratory specimens from admitted patients submitted to the PHL for testing for 20 respiratory pathogens (16 viral, 4 bacterial), and medical records for patients with submitted specimens are reviewed.

In 2015, 3,845 patient specimens were received. Children <2 years of age accounted for 50% of submitted specimens (1,924), and 75% of all specimens came from children <18 years old (2,901). Adults 18-44, 45-64, and ≥ 65 years of age accounted for 6% (215), 9% (335), and 10% (385) of submitted specimens, respectively. Median patient age was 2 years (range 0-99 years). Of tested specimens, 2,387 (62%) were positive for at least one pathogen; 571 (15%) had two or more pathogens detected. Rhinovirus/enterovirus (1,136, 30%), respiratory syncytial virus (753, 20%), adenovirus (303, 8%), parainfluenzaviruses 1-4 (296, 8%), human metapneumovirus (196, 5%), and influenza viruses A, B, and C (185, 5%) were the most commonly detected pathogens.

• For up to date information see>> Infectious Respiratory Illness
• Full issue>> Annual Summary of Communicable Diseases Reported to the Minnesota Department of Health, 2015