Low prevalence of influenza viruses and predominance of A(H3N2) virus with respect to SARS‐CoV‐2 during the 2021–2022 season in Bulgaria

Social distancing, mask‐wearing, and travel restrictions during the COVID‐19 pandemic have significantly impacted the spread of influenza viruses. The objectives of this study were to analyze the pattern of influenza virus circulation with respect to that of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronav...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical virology 2023-02, Vol.95 (2), p.e28489-n/a
Main Authors: Korsun, Neli, Trifonova, Ivelina, Dobrinov, Veselin, Madzharova, Iveta, Grigorova, Iliyana, Christova, Iva
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Age composition
Antigens
Bulgaria - epidemiology
Child
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Disease control
Epidemiology
Exo-a-sialidase
Genetic diversity
Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - genetics
Hemagglutinins
Humans
infection
Infections
Influenza
Influenza A Virus, H3N2 Subtype - genetics
Influenza Vaccines
influenza virus
Influenza, Human
Neuraminidase - genetics
Orthomyxoviridae
Pandemics
Pattern analysis
Phylogeny
Polymerase chain reaction
Prevalence
Public health
Respiratory diseases
Reverse transcription
RNA, Viral - genetics
SARS coronavirus
SARS-CoV-2 - genetics
Seasonal distribution
Seasons
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Statistical analysis
Vaccines
vaccines/vaccine strains
Viral diseases
Virology
Viruses
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Summary:Social distancing, mask‐wearing, and travel restrictions during the COVID‐19 pandemic have significantly impacted the spread of influenza viruses. The objectives of this study were to analyze the pattern of influenza virus circulation with respect to that of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) in Bulgaria during the 2021–2022 season and to perform a phylogenetic/molecular analysis of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) sequences of representative influenza strains. Influenza infection was confirmed using real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in 93 (4.2%) of the 2193 patients with acute respiratory illness tested wherein all detected viruses were subtyped as A(H3N2). SARS‐CoV‐2 was identified in 377 (24.3%) of the 1552 patients tested. Significant differences in the incidence of influenza viruses and SARS‐CoV‐2 were found between individual age groups, outpatients/inpatients, and in the seasonal distribution of cases. Two cases of coinfections were identified. In hospitalized patients, the Ct values of influenza viruses at admission were lower in adults aged ≥65 years (indicating higher viral load) than in children aged 0–14 years (p 
ISSN:0146-6615
1096-9071
DOI:10.1002/jmv.28489