Prevalence and Phylogenetic Analysis of Rhinoviruses in Patients with
Acute Respiratory Infections and Community-Acquired Pneumonia in a
referral hospital, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction. Rhinoviruses are known as the leading pathogens of
respiratory diseases. Determining the prevalence and phylogeny of
rhinoviruses plays a pivotal role in producing vaccines and medications
and preventing virus complications. This study investigated the
frequency, and genetic variation of rhinoviruses detected in patients
referred to Masih Daneshvari Hospital. Materials and Methods. It was a
descriptive cross-sectional study. The samples were from all ages whose
information was recorded in 2017 according to a clinical diagnosis of
acute respiratory infection (ARI) and in 2015 based on a clinical
diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) within the HIS system of
Masih Daneshvari Hospital. Using a random number table, 202 patients
diagnosed with ARI and 51 patients diagnosed with CAP were selected. The
real-time PCR method was used for primary screening; nested PCR was
performed in VP2/VP4 gene region for phylogenetic investigations, and
MEGA software drew a phylogenetic tree. Results. The highest level of
rhinovirus infection was seen in subjects under 18 years of age, males,
and during the spring season. In this study, the genotypes of HRV-A
(including A15, A29, A40, A47, A58, A67, and A80) and HRV-C (including
C39 and C44) and two samples of enterovirus D68 were found. Discussion
and Conclusion. Like other studies conducted in Asia, the most detected
genotypes were HRV-A and HRV-C. Conducting further studies with a larger
sample size and in different geographical regions of Iran will provide
us with more comprehensive information about the frequency of
rhinoviruses and common genotypes.