title: Human picornavirus and coronavirus RNA in nasopharynx of children without concurrent respiratory symptoms.
abstract: The prevalence of human rhino-, entero-, and coronaviruses was investigated by RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal aspirates from 107 children without concurrent respiratory symptoms. The children were admitted to the hospital for elective surgery. The parents filled a questionnaire about the occurrence of respiratory symptoms four weeks before and two weeks after the surgery. The rate of viral detection was 45% in children with related past or recent respiratory infection whereas 20% of the samples taken from children without any related past or recent respiratory infections were positive for picornavirus RNA, P = 0.008. Thirty-one (29%) of the nasopharyngeal aspirates were positive for viral RNA, 18% for rhinovirus, and 11% for enterovirus RNA. Coronavirus RNA was not found in any of the children. Fifty-five percent of the children with virus-positive samples had an infection-related diagnosis. In addition, 81% of the children with virus-positive samples had had previously respiratory symptoms or there were concurrent respiratory symptoms in other family members. Only four of the 31 virus-positive samples were from children without infection-related diagnosis or recent past (or immediate future) respiratory symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Enterovirus Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, National Public Health Institute (KTL), Helsinki, Finland. johanna.nokso-koivisto@hus.fi
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nokso-Koivisto
authors.forename: Teemu J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kinnari
authors.forename: Päivi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lindahl
authors.forename: Tapani
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hovi
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pitkäranta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology*; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000821:virology*; D010850:Picornaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology*; D012229:Rhinovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral