[Human rhinovirus detection from infants and young children with acute respiratory infections by nested-polymerase chain reaction].
OBJECTIVE
To develop a rapid, sensitive and specific method for detection human rhinovirus (HRV) from clinical specimens.


METHODS
Primers derived from the highly conserved 5'noncoding region of human rhinovirus were used to develop a nested RT-PCR for detecting HRV. The sensitivity and specificity of the RT-PCR were determined using various RNA while DNA viruses were used as control. Seven hundred and seventy-one specimens collected from children with symptoms of acute respiratory infections from Nov. 2002 to Oct. 2003 were analyzed for HRV by RT-PCR as well as for other respiratory viruses through isolation of virus and indirect immunofluorescent assay.


RESULTS
Only the cDNA from HRV was positive by RT-PCR, indicating the nested RT-PCR was specific. With RT-PCR, HRV were detected in 148 out of 771 specimens (19.2%). As for HRV positive rates, it was found 53.3% in pharyngitis patients; 43.8% in laryngitis patients and 28.7% in bronchitis patients. In Sep. 2002 and from Aug. 2003 to Oct. 2003, HRV positive rates were high (21.6% - 32.6%), with Sep. 2003 in particular--32.6%. From Mar. 2003 to Jul. 2003, HRV positive rates maintained from 16.0% to 19.1%.


CONCLUSIONS
HRV was one of the important agents for acute respiratory infections in infants and young children in Beijing.
Zhao
Lin-qing
LQ
Laboratory of Virology, Beijing Municipal Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing 100020, China.
Qian
Yuan
Y
Zhu
Ru-nan
RN
Deng
Jie
J
Wang
Fang
F
D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D000208:Acute Disease; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000821:virology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012229:Rhinovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral