Human coronavirus NL63, France.
The human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) was first identified in The Netherlands, and its circulation in France has not been investigated. We studied HCoV-NL63 infection in hospitalized children diagnosed with respiratory tract infections. From November 2002 to April 2003, we evaluated 300 respiratory specimens for HCoV-NL63. Of the 300 samples, 28 (9.3%) were positive for HCoV-NL63. The highest prevalence was found in February (18%). The main symptoms were fever (61%), rhinitis (39%), bronchiolitis (39%), digestive problems (33%), otitis (28%), pharyngitis (22%), and conjunctivitis (17%). A fragment of the spike protein gene was sequenced to determine the variety of circulating HCoV-NL63. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that strains with different genetic markers cocirculate in France.
Vabret
Astrid
A
University Hospital, Caen, France. vabret-a@chu-caen.fr
Mourez
Thomas
T
Dina
Julia
J
van der Hoek
Lia
L
Gouarin
Stéphanie
S
Petitjean
Joëlle
J
Brouard
Jacques
J
Freymuth
François
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D012367:RNA, Viral