RVdb: a comprehensive resource and analysis platform for rhinovirus research

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Bioinformatics
• Genomics

Background:

• Rhinovirus (RV) is a leading cause of human respiratory infections, including common colds and asthma exacerbations, resulting in substantial societal costs.
• The high mutation rate and genomic diversity of RV, with 174 identified serotypes, complicate epidemiological surveillance and disease investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce RVdb, a comprehensive data resource for Rhinovirus (RV) strains, sequences, protein structures, and publications.
• To provide integrated bioinformatics tools for analyzing RV genetic characteristics and supporting public health efforts.

Main Methods:

• Development of RVdb, a web-based resource containing 26,909 RV strains and related data.
• Integration of web-based utilities for browsing, searching, sequence annotation, multiple sequence alignment (MSA), phylogenetic tree construction, BLAST, and serotyping.

Main Results:

• RVdb provides a user-friendly platform with extensive data on RV strains and genetic information.
• Integrated bioinformatics tools facilitate the analysis of RV genetic diversity and characteristics.

Conclusions:

• RVdb serves as a valuable and powerful platform for researchers studying RV genetic diversity.
• The resource supports virologists and epidemiologists in monitoring and tracing RV-related infectious diseases for public health.