Frequent detection and genotyping of human rhinovirus in SARS-CoV-2 negative patients; a study from south of Iran

Amirhossein Darabi; Behrang Sarshari; Katayoun Vahdat; Seyed Alireza Mousavi; Mohsen Keshavarz

doi:10.18502/ijm.v15i3.12908

Amirhossein Darabi The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Behrang Sarshari Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Katayoun Vahdat The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Seyed Alireza Mousavi The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Mohsen Keshavarz The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v15i3.12908

Keywords: Human rhinoviruses; Prevalence; Respiratory infection; Emerging disease, Genotyping

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Human rhinovirus (HRV), a major cause of common cold, was associated to the hospitaliza- tion of children and adults. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence, and genotype distribution of HRV in the patients with mild to severe respiratory infections who were negative for SARS-Cov-2.

Materials and Methods: Nasopharyngeal swab specimens (n = 356) from the patients aged 29 days to 82 years, received for the respiratory virus detection from January to December 2021, were analyzed for human rhinovirus (HRV) by RT- PCR. As a final step, genotyping was performed on obtained sequences.

Results: A total of 37 HRV infections were identified (37/356, 10%). The highest rates of positive HRV tests were observed in February (21.6%), and January (18.9%), compared with June and August (0%). HRV-positive cases mainly appeared in winter. Among the age groups, those 2-<5 years of age had the highest detection rate (21%), however, those >55 years of age had the lowest detection rate (3%). Among HRV-positive samples, 30 (81%) were identified as type HRV-A, 5 (13.5%) as HRV-B, and 2 (5.5%) as HRV-C.

Conclusion: Our results suggested that HRV frequency gradually decreased with the age of patients which is more active in Iran, especially in the cold months.