Table 1.
Reported prevalence of individual microbial agents in AAE, according to data from the literature reviewed in this manuscript
| Pathogen | Prevalence (%) in AAE | Higher frequency in AAE than control populations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infants and pre‐school‐age children | Children (6–17 years) | Adults | ||
| Rhinovirus | 17–78 (33) | 42–82 (55) | 8–65 (29) | Yes |
| Enterovirus | 12–25 (18) | 5–16 (7) | ? | ? |
| Coronavirus | 0–5 (2) | 0–13 (1) | 4–21 (12) | No |
| Influenza virus | 1–20 (3) | 0–7 (2.5) | 8–25 (23) | Yes (adults only) |
| Parainfluenza virus | 4–12 (7.5) | 0–7 (2) | 0–18 (0) | No |
| Respiratory Syncytial virus | 2–68 (19) | 1.5–12 (4) | 0–39 (3) | Yes (infants only) |
| Metapneumovirus | 1.5–9 (4) | 4–7.5 (4.5) | 7 | ? |
| Adenovirus | 1.5–8 (4.5) | 0–71 (0) | 1–3 (2) | No |
| Bocavirus | 7.5–19 (11) | ? | ? | ? |
| Chlamydophila Pn | 0–45 (4) | 4–23 (11) | 0–73 (13) | ? |
| Mycoplasma Pn | 1–10 (2) | 0–50 (14) | 0–8 (4) | Yes (children only) |
Percentage range and median value (in parentheses) are shown. Percentages referring to viral species are derived predominantly by PCR techniques that are applied in the majority of studies for viral detection. Bacterial (CP/MP) detection is usually by serology and/or PCR. Remarks in the last column are based on data from case–control studies. ? = Insufficient data.
AAE, acute asthma exacerbation; CP, Chlamydophila pneumoniae; MP, Mycoplasma pneumoniae.