Human Rhinoviruses in Pediatric Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Germany: Molecular Epidemiology and Clinical Significance

Abstract

Rhinoviruses (RVs) constitute a substantial public health burden. To evaluate their abundance and genetic diversity in pediatric patients, RV RNA in respiratory samples was assessed using real-time RT-PCR and partial nucleic acid sequencing of viral genomes. Additionally, clinical data were retrieved from patient charts to determine the clinical significance of pediatric RV infections. In total, the respiratory specimens of 776 patients (p = 0.04) and bronchiolitis (p p = 0.001) and pneumonia (p = 0.002). Additionally, 35.3% of the patients had co-infections with other pathogens, which were associated with a longer hospital stay (p p p < 0.001). Taken together, this study shows pronounced RV genetic diversity in pediatric patients and indicates differences in RV-associated pathologies, as well as an important role for co-infections.

Keywords

• rhinovirus
• molecular epidemiology
• respiratory infections
• respiratory viruses
• pediatric patients