Emerging Infectious Diseases (Aug 2005)

Human Coronavirus NL63, France

  • Astrid Vabret,
  • Thomas Mourez,
  • Julia Dina,
  • Lia van der Hoek,
  • Stéphanie Gouarin,
  • Joëlle Petitjean,
  • Jacques Brouard,
  • François Freymuth

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1108.050110
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 8
pp. 1225 – 1229

Abstract

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The human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) was first identified in the Netherlands, and its circulation in France has not been investigated. We studied HCoV-NL63 infection in hospitalized children diagnosed with respiratory tract infections. From November 2002 to April 2003, we evaluated 300 respiratory specimens for HCoV-NL63. Of the 300 samples, 28 (9.3%) were positive for HCoV-NL63. The highest prevalence was found in February (18%). The main symptoms were fever (61%), rhinitis (39%), bronchiolitis (39%), digestive problems (33%), otitis (28%), pharyngitis (22%), and conjunctivitis (17%). A fragment of the spike protein gene was sequenced to determine the variety of circulating HCoV-NL63. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that strains with different genetic markers cocirculate in France.

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