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Absorption of Nasal and Bronchial Fluids: Precision Sampling of the Human Respiratory Mucosa and Laboratory Processing of Samples
Published on: January 21, 2018
Prospective evaluation of rhinovirus infection in healthy young children
Nicola Principi1, Alberto Zampiero1, Monia Gambino1
1Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
Insights
Human rhinovirus (HRV) infections are very common in young children, often without symptoms. This study identified circulating HRV types and found shedding duration varied by type, with most infections being mild.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Molecular Epidemiology
Background:
- Human rhinovirus (HRV) infections are highly prevalent in young children.
- Previous studies lacked data on circulating HRV types, infection incidence, and shedding duration in this demographic.
- Understanding HRV epidemiology in young children is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the circulation of HRV species and types in healthy children under two years old.
- To determine the incidence of both asymptomatic and symptomatic HRV infections in this population.
- To analyze the duration of viral shedding for different HRV types.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 93 healthy children aged <2 years.
- Weekly household visits for symptom recording and nasopharyngeal (NP) swab collection over a 4-month period.
- RT-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) used for HRV identification and phylogenetic analysis.
Main Results:
- 326 HRV infections diagnosed from 1408 NP samples (23.1% positivity rate).
- HRV-C was the most prevalent type (37.4%), followed by non-typeable HRV (31.6%), HRV-A (22.1%), and HRV-B (8.9%).
- Shedding duration was significantly longer for HRV-A and HRV-B (14 days) compared to HRV-C (7 days).
- The majority of HRV infections (64.1%) were asymptomatic, and symptomatic cases showed mild clinical relevance.
Conclusions:
- HRV infections are extremely frequent in healthy young children.
- Infections are typically asymptomatic or present with mild symptoms.
- Viral shedding duration is generally limited, with variations observed among HRV types.
Background:
Although the incidence of human rhinovirus (HRV) infection is highest in young, no study has yet been published concerning the types of HRV circulating in this population, the incidence of symptomatic infections due to the different types, or duration of shedding
Objectives:
This prospective study evaluated the circulation of HRV species and types, and established the incidence of asymptomatic and symptomatic infections in young children.
Study Design:
The study enrolled 93 healthy children aged <2 years, 88 of whom completed the follow-up of weekly household visits from November 2013 to February 2014. At each visit, a record was made of any signs and symptoms of acute infection, and a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab was taken in order to identify the HRVs by means of RT-polymerase chain reaction and to construct the phylogenetic tree of the HRV-positive cases.
Results:
A total of 1408 NP samples were obtained and 326 HRV infections were diagnosed (23.1%), leading to a mean number of 3.7 ± 2.3 infections per child: HRV-A in 72 cases (22.1%), HRV-B in 29 (8.9%), HRV-C in 122 (37.4%), and non-typeable HRV in 103 (31.6%). Shedding was significantly longer for HRV-A (14 days) and HRV-B (14 days) than HRV-C (7 days; p = 0.002 and p = 0.012). Most of the HRV infections (209/326, 64.1%) remained asymptomatic and, when symptomatic, were of marginal clinical relevance.
Conclusions:
In healthy young children, HRV infection is extremely frequent, generally asymptomatic or with a mild clinical presentation, and viral shedding is limited in time.
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