Molecular Types of Rhinovirus Among Cases of Acute Respiratory Infections in a University Hospital

Rhinovirus (RV) is classified in the Picornaviridae family in the Enterovirus genus and consists of three species, RV-A, RV-B, and RV-C, and there are over 170 RV subtypes. This study aimed to make molecular typing of RVs detected in nasopharyngeal swab samples sent to Bursa Uludag University Hospital PCR laboratory and to determine the seasonal distribution of types and their relationship with age and gender categories. Viral RNA was extracted from 80 samples of patients aged 0-90 years using the PureLink™ Viral RNA/DNA Mini Kit (ThermoFisher Scientific, USA). Nucleic acid amplification was performed using the OneStep RT-PCR Kit (Qiagen, Germany) using RV universal primers targeting conserved regions in the 5'UTR. DNA sequencing analysis was performed using the Sanger sequencing method. The obtained sequences were analyzed using the MEGA 11 program. RVs circulated year-round with a peak in the fall. In 80 samples, RV A, B, and C were found in 31 (38.75%), 8 (10%), and 33 (41.25%) samples, respectively. Three samples (3.75%) were typed as Enterovirus-D68, while five (6.25%) samples could not be typed. While RV A was detected in all seasons, RV C was frequent in autumn (p < 0.05), and RV B was detected in spring and autumn. We found that RV A infections were seen at earlier ages (p < 0.05), and RV C infections were seen at later ages (p < 0.05). It was found that RV types and distribution were similar to the studies conducted in our country before the COVID-19 pandemic, and types were not affected by the pandemic.