Respiratory rhinovirus infection in adult patients in Changshu, Jiangsu in winter of 2021

  Objective  To understand the infection status of human rhinovirus (HRV) in adult patients with respiratory tract infection in Changshu, Jiangsu province in the winter of 2021.

  Methods  The pharyngeal swab samples from outpatients and inpatients with respiratory tract infection were collected in hospitals in Changshu. 15 common respiratory virus were detected by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). VP4-VP2 genes of rhinovirus were amplified and sequenced. The phylogeny of the obtained sequences were analyzed through MEGA 7.0 software.

  Results  120 positive samples of virus infection were detected in 333 pharyngeal swab samples, with a positive detection rate of (36.04%, 120/133). HRV accounted for 28.33% of the positive samples (34/120), followed by adenovirus (22.50%, 27/120) and influenza B virus (15.83%, 19/120). Among the positive samples, single virus was mainly detected, accounting for 83.33% (100/120) and multi-virus positive samples accounted for 16.7%, in which two kinds of viruses was detected in 80% of samples (16/20) and three kinds of viruses were only detected in 4 samples. A total of 32 VP4-VP2 genes were amplified from 34 HRV positive samples. There were 19 strains of HRV-A, 9 strains of HRV-B and 4 strains of HRV-C, involving 20 serotypes.

  Conclusion  HRV is one of the main viruses causing respiratory tract infection in adults in Changshu in winter of 2021. HRV-A was the main serotype.