Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep:110:69-74.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.06.046. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

The Molecular Epidemiology and Clinical Phylogenetics of Rhinoviruses Among Paediatric Cases in Sydney, Australia

Dillon Charles Adam  1 , Xin Chen  2 , Matthew Scotch  3 , Chandini Raina MacIntyre  4 , Dominic Dwyer  5 , Jen Kok  5
Affiliations

The Molecular Epidemiology and Clinical Phylogenetics of Rhinoviruses Among Paediatric Cases in Sydney, Australia

Dillon Charles Adam et al. Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: Rhinoviruses (RV) represent the most common aetiological agent of all acute respiratory tract infections across all age groups and a significant burden of disease among children. Recent studies have shown that RV-A and RV-C species are associated with increased disease severity. In order to better understand the potential associations between RV species and clinical features among paediatric cases, this study aimed to integrate genetic and epidemiological data using Bayesian phylogenetic methods.

Methods: Potential associations between RV species and subtypes, and clinical disease severity using a matched dataset of 52 RV isolates sampled from children (< 18 years) in Sydney, Australia, between 2006 and 2009 were uncovered using epidemiological and phylogenetic methods.

Results: It was found that RV-C was significantly more likely to be isolated from paediatric cases aged < 2 years compared with RV-A, although no significant differences in recorded symptoms were observed. Significant phylogenetic-trait associations between age and the VP4/VP2 capsid protein phylogeny suggest that age-specific variations in infectivity among subtypes may may be possible.

Conclusion: This study adds to the growing body of epidemiological evidence concerning RV. Improving surveillance and testing for RV, including routine whole genome sequencing, may improve understanding of the varied disease outcomes of RV species and subtypes. Future studies could aim to identify specific genetic markers associated with age-specific infectivity of RV, which could inform treatment practices and public health surveillance of RV.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Paediatric infections; Phylogenetics; Rhinoviruses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CRM has received funding for investigator-driven research from Merck, GSK and Seqirus, and support for laboratory testing unrelated to this study from Pfizer. CRM has also been on advisory boards for the same companies. DCA, XC, MS, DD and JK have no competing interests to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Unrooted radial phylogenetic tree of RV-A and RV-C species and subtype coloured by age group with branch lengths equally constrained.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Baillie VL, Moore DP, Mathunjwa A, Morailane P, Simões EAF, Madhi SA. A prospective case-control study on the association of Rhinovirus nasopharyngeal viral load and viremia in South African children hospitalized with severe pneumonia. Journal of Clinical Virology 2020;125. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bergroth E, Aakula M, Elenius V, Remes S, Piippo-Savolainen E, Korppi M, Piedra PA, Bochkov YA, Gern JE, Camargo CA, Jartti T. Rhinovirus Type in Severe Bronchiolitis and the Development of Asthma. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice 2020;8(2):588–95 e584. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blaas D, Fuchs R. Mechanism of human rhinovirus infections. Molecular and Cellular Pediatrics 2016;3(1):1–4. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blomqvist S, Savolainen C, Råman L, Roivainen M, Hovi T. Human rhinovirus 87 and enterovirus 68 represent a unique serotype with rhinovirus and enterovirus features. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2002;40(11):4218–23. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bochkov Y, Evans M, Grindle K, Pappas T, Lemanske R, Jackson D, Gern J. Differential Roles of Rhinovirus (RV) A and RV-C Species in Respiratory Illnesses in Early Vs. Late Childhood. Chapter 26: Pediatric Asthma: Epidemiology and Epigenetics 2018:A4597.