RESEARCH ARTICLE Viral aetiology of acute re

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are one of the illnesses of highest morbidity and mortality in children worldwide [1-3]. The pathogens causing ARIs vary geographically and by season, but globally viruses play a major role. Respira-tory syncytial virus (RSV) is by far the most common pathogen associated with severe respiratory diseases as bronchiolitis, exacerbation of asthma, or pneumonia in early life, and is a leading cause of hospitalization in children under two [4]. Influenza viruses have the greatest potential to cause severe respiratory diseases in the very young, the elderly and those with underlying chronic con-ditions [5]. Enteroviruses including human rhinoviruses (HRV) and human enteroviruses (EV), previously identified in childhood upper respiratory tract infections, are com-monly associated with milder ARIs and have been sus-pected as major etiological agents of lower respiratory tract infections leading to bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infant