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

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.

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.

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.

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