title: Rhinovirus is an important pathogen in upper and lower respiratory tract infections in Mexican children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most of the studies characterizing the incidence of rhinovirus (RV) have been carried out in hospitalized children and in developed countries. In those studies, RV-C has been associated with more severe respiratory tract infections than RV species A and B. In this study we determined the frequency and diversity of RV strains associated with upper and lower respiratory tract infections (URTI, LRTI) in Mexico, and describe the clinical characteristics of the illness associated with different RV species.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective surveillance of 526 and 250 children with URTI and LRTI was carried out. Respiratory samples were analyzed by RT-PCR for viruses. The 5' untranslated region of the RV genome was amplified and sequenced.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the case of URTI, 17.5% were positive for RV, while this virus was found in 24.8% of LRTI. The RV species was determined in 73 children with URTI: 61.6% were RV-A, 37% RV-C and, 1.4% RV-B; and in 43 children with LRTI: 51.2% were RV-A, 41.8% RV-C, and 7% RV-B. No significant differences in clinical characteristics were found in patients with RV-A or RV-C infections. A high genetic diversity of RV strains was found in both URTI and LRTI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both RV-A and RV-C species were frequently found in hospitalized as well as in outpatient children. This study underlines the high prevalence and genetic diversity of RV strains in Mexico and the potential severity of disease associated with RV-A and RV-C infections.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av.Universidad 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico. asef@ibt.unam.mx.
authors.forename: Fernando E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Aponte
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av.Universidad 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico. btaboada@ibt.unam.mx.
authors.forename: Blanca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Taboada
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av.Universidad 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico. maet@ibt.unam.mx.
authors.forename: Marco A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Espinoza
authors.affiliation: Colegio de Pediatría del Estado de Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico. dra_maryarias@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: María A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Arias-Ortiz
authors.affiliation: Colegio de Pediatría del Estado de Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico. monge_jesus@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monge-Martínez
authors.affiliation: Colegio de Pediatría del Estado de Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico. dr_pediatri@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Vázquez
authors.affiliation: Colegio de Pediatría del Estado de Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico. fideldh@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Fidel
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Díaz-Hernández
authors.affiliation: Colegio de Pediatría del Estado de Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico. fmzv77@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zárate-Vidal
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D F, Mexico. rmwong@unam.mx.
authors.forename: Rosa María
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Wong-Chew
authors.affiliation: Hospital General de México, México, D F, Mexico. veronicafr@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Firo-Reyes
authors.affiliation: Hospital Pediátirco de Coyoacán, México, D F, Mexico. riac06@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carlos N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: del Río-Almendárez
authors.affiliation: Nuevo Hospital Civil de Guadalajara "Dr. Juan I. Menchaca", Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. jesusgaitan53@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gaitán-Meza
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, IMSS, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. avillase@prodigy.net.mx.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Villaseñor-Sierra
authors.affiliation: Hospital General de Durango, Durango, Mexico. uimec@yahoo.es.
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martínez-Aguilar
authors.affiliation: Hospital General de Durango, Durango, Mexico. maricela_garcia2010@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Maricela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: García-Borjas
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. dnoyola@uaslp.mx.
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Noyola
authors.affiliation: Hospital Central "Dr. Ignacio Morones Prieto", San Luis Potosí, Mexico. luisfer.luisfernando@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Luis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Pérez-Gónzalez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av.Universidad 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico. susana@ibt.unam.mx.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D F, Mexico. joseignaciosantos56@gmail.com.
authors.forename: José I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Santos-Preciado
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av.Universidad 2001, Colonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Morelos, 62210, Mexico. arias@ibt.unam.mx.
authors.forename: Carlos F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Arias
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D010850:Picornaviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D012229:Rhinovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*