Volume 20, Number 11—November 2014
Research
Respiratory Viruses and Bacteria among Pilgrims during the 2013 Hajj
Table 2
Prevalence of respiratory viruses and bacteria among participants before departing from France and before leaving Saudi Arabia, 2012 and 2013 Hajj*
| Respiratory pathogen | 2012 study, n = 169 |
2013 study, n = 129 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before departing from France, no. (%) | Before leaving Saudi Arabia, no. (%) | p value | Before departing from France, no. (%) | Before leaving Saudi Arabia, no. (%) | p value | |
| Virus | ||||||
| Influenza virus A (H3N2) | 0 | 0 | NA | 0 | 8 (6.2) | 0.007† |
| Influenza virus B | 0 | 2 (1.3) | 0.23 | 0 | 1 (0.8) | 1 |
| Influenza virus C | 1 (0.6) | 0 | 1 | 2 (1.7) | 0 | 0.23 |
| A(H1N1)pdm09 | 0 | 0 | NA | 0 | 1 (0.8) | 1 |
| Human adenovirus | 1 (0.6) | 3 (1.9) | 0.36 | 2 (1.7) | 0 | 0.23 |
| Human bocavirus | ND | ND | NA | 2 (1.7) | 0 | 0.23 |
| Human coronavirus E229 | ND | ND | NA | 0 | 16 (12.4) | <10–3† |
| Human coronavirus HKU1 | ND | ND | NA | 0 | 5 (3.9) | 0.06 |
| Human coronavirus NL63 | ND | ND | NA | 0 | 1 (0.8) | 1 |
| Human coronavirus OC43 | ND | ND | NA | 0 | 5 (3.9) | 0.06 |
| Human cytomegalovirus | ND | ND | NA | 0 | 0 | NA |
| Human enterovirus | 1 (0.6) | 1 (0.6) | 1 | 1 (0.8) | 3 (2.3) | 0.62 |
| Human metapneumovirus | 0 | 0 | NA | 2 (1.7) | 1 (0.8) | 0.61 |
| Human parainfluenza viruses | ND | ND | NA | 4 (3.3) | 1 (0.8) | 0.20 |
| Human parechovirus | ND | ND | NA | 0 | 0 | NA |
| Human respiratory syncytial virus | 0 | 0 | NA | 0 | 1 (0.8) | 1 |
| Human rhinovirus | 5 (3.0) | 13 (8.4) | 0.036† | 17 (14.0) | 19 (14.7) | 0.88 |
| At least 1 virus | 8 (4.3) | 17 (11.0) | 0.040† | 26 (21.5) | 50 (38.8) | 0.003† |
| Bacteria‡ | ||||||
| Bordetella pertussis | 0 | 0 | NA | 0 | 0 | NA |
| Mycoplasma pneumoniae | 0 | 0 | NA | 0 | 0 | NA |
| Neisseria meningitidis | 0 | 0 | NA | 0 | 0 | NA |
| Streptococcus pneumoniae | 12 (7.3) | 30 (19.5) | 0.001† | 63 (50.0) | 80 (62.0) | 0.053 |
*In 2012, 146 pre-Hajj samples (88.5%) were collected in the month before departing from France and were stored at ambient temperature (stabilized by air conditioning at 20°C) for a mean time of 13 d (range 5–37 d) before being transported to a laboratory in Marseille for storage at −80°C. In addition, 19 pre-Hajj samples (11.5%) were collected on the day of departure from France (at the airport) and were stored at ambient temperature for 30 d after collection before being transported to a laboratory in Marseille for storage at −80°C. In 2013, all samples collected during the study were kept at ambient temperature before being transported to a laboratory in Marseille for storage at −80°C within 48 h of collection. NA, not applicable; ND, not determined.
†Statistically significant difference.
‡In the 2012 study, nasal swab specimens were collected from participants instead of throat swab specimens, which were used in the present study conducted in 2013.