Human rhinoviruses in Chinese adults with acute respiratory tract infection

J Infect. 2010 Oct;61(4):289-98. doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2010.07.001. Epub 2010 Jul 16.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the roles of human rhinoviruses (HRVs) in acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in Chinese adults and determine the association between species of HRV and clinical presentations.

Methods: RT-PCR methods were used to detect HRVs in throat and nasal swabs collected from 6104 adult patients with ARTIs from December 2005 to April 2008 in Beijing, China.

Results: HRV strains were detected in 271 ARTIs cases, 65% of which tested positive for HRV-A, 25% for HRV-B, and 10% for HRV-C. Aside from fever, pharyngeal congestion and headache were the most common clinical symptoms observed in the HRVs infected patients. HRV-A infected patients had a higher percentage of upper respiratory symptoms than patients infected by the two other HRV species. Systemic symptoms such as chilliness and myalgia were more frequent in people infected by HRV-B. The three HRV species exhibited unique infection timing when analyzed monthly.

Conclusion: HRV-C can be detected in adult patients with acute upper respiratory tract infections, but is not the predominant species in this population.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • China / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nose / virology
  • Pharynx / virology
  • Picornaviridae Infections / epidemiology*
  • Picornaviridae Infections / pathology
  • Picornaviridae Infections / virology*
  • Prevalence
  • RNA, Viral / genetics
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / epidemiology*
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / pathology
  • Respiratory Tract Infections / virology*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Rhinovirus / classification
  • Rhinovirus / genetics
  • Rhinovirus / isolation & purification*
  • Virology / methods
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • RNA, Viral