Assessment of biogrowth assemblages with depth in a seawater intake system of a coastal power station

Marine biogrowth infestation of a seawater intake system was investigated. A digital camera fixed onto a skid was used to record the biogrowth at intervals of 5 m up to a depth of 55 m. Divers inspected the intake shaft and collected the biogrowth samples for biomass estimation. A biomass density of 7.5 kg m^-2 and 28.2 kg m^-2 was recorded at 5 and 30 m depths respectively. Inspection by the divers revealed that hard-shelled organisms such as oysters and brown and green mussels were observed in plenty up to a thickness of 15 cm and bryozoans grew as epibionts. At lower depths (<40 m), hydroids grew on the shells of green mussels along with silt accumulation. The biofouling community was composed of 46 organisms, exhibiting variation in distribution and abundance. The study explains the extent and type of marine biogrowth phenomena with depth and describes biofouling preventive methods.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08927014.2021.1933457 .

Association between multiple respiratory viral infections and pediatric intensive care unit admission among infants with bronchiolitis

Background

It is unclear whether multiple respiratory viral infections are associated with more severe bronchiolitis requiring pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. We aimed to identify the association between multiple respiratory viral infections and PICU admission among infants with bronchiolitis.

Methods

We performed a 1:1 case-control study enrolling previously healthy full-term infants (≤12 months) with bronchiolitis admitted to the PICU as cases and those to the general pediatric ward as controls from 2015 to 2017. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for detection of the respiratory viruses. We summarized the characteristics of infants admitted to the PICU and the general pediatric unit. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to fit the association between multiple respiratory viral infections (≥2 strains) and PICU admission.

Results

A total of 135 infants admitted to the PICU were compared with 135 randomly selected control infants admitted to the general pediatric unit. The PICU patients were younger (median: 2.2 months, interquartile range: 1.3–4.2) than the general ward patients (median: 3.2 months, interquartile range: 1.6–6.4). Respiratory syncytial virus (74.1%), rhinovirus (28.9%), and coronavirus (5.9%) were the most common viruses for bronchiolitis requiring PICU admission. Patients with bronchiolitis admitted to the PICU tended to have multiple viral infections compared with patients on the general ward (23.0% vs. 10.4%, P < 0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, bronchiolitis with multiple viral infections was associated with higher odds of PICU admission (adjusted odds ratio: 2.56, 95% confidence interval: 1.17–5.57, P = 0.02).

Conclusion

Infants with multiviral bronchiolitis have higher odds of PICU admission compared with those with a single or nondetectable viral infection.