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BackgroundEnterovirus D68 (EV-D68) primarily causes respiratory infection, occasionally manifesting with neurological symptoms. Outbreak reports have been published from various countries including Norway, but a longitudinal study on EV-D68 prevalence in Northern Europe is lacking.MethodsRespiratory samples from children ≤14 years received at Oslo University Hospital in the years 2012-2022 were examined for EV-D68. Samples from 2012-2015 were retrospectively screened using a semi-specific RT-PCR, with positive samples confirmed by an EV-D68 specific RT-PCR. Samples from 2016-2022 underwent routine diagnostics with the EV-D68 specific RT-PCR.ResultsAmong the 22,911 samples tested, EV-D68 was detected in 338 samples (324 patients). Most EV-D68 cases occurred in August to December. The highest detection rate was recorded in 2014, 2016 and 2022 (6.0%, 7.8% and 6.6% of samples from August-December). Lower frequencies were observed in 2018 and 2019 (1.0% and 2.4%), and in the years before the 2014 outbreak (2012: 1.3%, 2013: 0.8%). Few cases were identified in 2020-2021. Children aged 0-1 years accounted for 40%, and 0-4 years for 78%, of the EV-D68 positive patients. Most of the patients with EV-D68 (83%) were hospitalised.DiscussionAlso in Norway, EV-D68 has caused outbreaks with significant disease burden, especially among the youngest children. The detection rate varies, with a trend towards biennial outbreaks, except for low numbers in 2018 and during the COVID-19 restrictions (2020-2021). Due to its potential for severe respiratory illness and significant neurological complications, conducting EV-D68 testing is essential both for diagnosing clinically suspected cases, and for monitoring the disease burden.

Objective To determine risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalisation among children and adolescents.Design Nationwide, population-based cohort study.Setting Norway from 1 March 2020 to 30 November 2021.Participants All Norwegian residents

Background: Measures to reduce spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the Covid-19 pandemic 2020–2021 may impact other microbiological agents. We aimed to investigate the incidence of infectious diseases and the incidence of viruses other than SARS-CoV-2 amongst children at The Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Norway during 2020–2021 compared to previous years. Methods: Data from April 1st 2020 – March 31st 2021 were compared to data from corresponding 12-months periods 2017–2020. ICD-10 infectious disease diagnoses were collected from the Hospital Diagnosis and Procedure Registry and results of virus PCR analyses of different specimens (mainly nasopharyngeal (NF) and faecal samples) were collected from the Laboratory System at the Department of Microbiology. Results: The number of hospital contacts with acute bronchiolitis, viral pneumonia, gastroenteritis and viral central nervous system infections were reduced by 90% (p

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187618.].

We prospectively studied the consequences of extensive antibiotic treatment on faecal carriage of antibiotic-resistant enterobacteria in a cohort of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and a cohort of children with cancer compared to healthy children with no or low antibiotic exposure. The study was conducted in Norway in a low resistance prevalence setting. Sixty longitudinally collected faecal samples from children with CF (n = 32), 88 samples from children with cancer (n = 45) and 127 samples from healthy children (n = 70) were examined. A direct MIC-gradient strip method was used to detect resistant Enterobacteriaceae by applying Etest strips directly onto agar-plates swabbed with faecal samples. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) data were analysed to identify resistance mechanisms in 28 multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli isolates. The prevalence of resistance to third-generation cephalosporins, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin was low in all the study groups. At inclusion the prevalence of ampicillin-resistant E. coli and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-resistant E. coli in the CF group compared to healthy controls was 58.6% vs. 28.4% (p = 0.005) and 48.3% vs. 14.9% (p = 0.001), respectively, with a similar prevalence at the end of the study. The prevalence of resistant enterobacteria was not significantly different in the children with cancer compared to the healthy children, not even at the end of the study when the children with cancer had been treated with repeated courses of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Children with cancer were mainly treated with intravenous antibiotics, while the CF group mainly received peroral treatment. Our observations indicate that the mode of administration of antibiotics and the general level of antimicrobial resistance in the community may have an impact on emergence of resistance in intestinal enterobacteria during antibiotic treatment. The WGS analyses detected acquired resistance genes and/or chromosomal mutations that explained the observed phenotypic resistance in all 28 multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates examined.