[Characterization of human coronavirus 229E infection among patients with respiratory symptom in Beijing, Oct-Dec, 2007].
OBJECTIVE
To know the etiology, prevalence, clinical symptoms associated with the infection of the HCoV-229E in the respiratory specimens sampled from adult patients in Beijing.


METHODS
158 nasopharyngeal swab specimens were collected from adult patients with fever in Beijing between October and December, 2007. We performed the screening of HCoV-229E by real-time RT-PCR and sequencing of HCoV-229E gene fragments derived from conventional PCR. At meantime, we also screened the HCoV-229E positive samples for the co-infection with HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1 and HMPV by real-time RT-PCR. Finally, demographic and clinical data associated with HCoV-229E infection were examined retrospectively.


RESULTS
We detected 103 (62.5%) of 158 specimens were positive for HCoV-229E by real-time RT-PCR. When tested for other respiratory viruses, 26 HCoV-229E positive patients were found to be co-infected with other viruses. Of which HCoV-NL63 was observed in 3 specimens (11.5%), HCoV-HKU1 in 3 (11.5%) and HMPV in 20 (76.9%). The main clinical manifestations were noted as: headache (in 70.9%), sore throat (69%), chills (68%), cough (33%), sputum (21.3%), rhinorrhea (21.4%), nasal obstruction (16.5%), and a few of patients were visible as vomiting (6.8%), dyspnea (3.9%), diarrhea (in 1.9%). The rate of HCoV-229E infection in adult patients was found no relative with age and gender.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data showed that HCoV-229E is a common and important pathogen in adult patients with acute respiratory symptoms but usually resulted in milder influenza-like illnesses. There might have a local outbreak of HCoV-229E infection in Beijing, Oct-Dec, 2007.
Lu
Rou-jian
RJ
Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing 100052, China.
Zhang
Ling-lin
LL
Tan
Wen-jie
WJ
Zhou
Wei-min
WM
Wang
Zhong
Z
Peng
Kun
K
Ruan
Li
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D028941:Coronavirus 229E, Human / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult