Prevalence and Phylogenetic Analysis of Rhinoviruses in Patients with Acute Respiratory Infections and Community-Acquired Pneumonia in a Referral Hospital, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Rhinoviruses are known as the leading pathogens of respiratory diseases. Determining the prevalence and phylogeny of rhinoviruses plays a pivotal role in producing vaccines and medications and preventing virus complications. This study investigated the frequency, and genetic variation of rhinoviruses detected in patients referred to Masih Daneshvari Hospital. Materials and Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The samples were from all ages whose information was recorded in 2017 according to a clinical diagnosis of acute respiratory infection (ARI) and in 2015 based on a clinical diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) within the HIS system of Masih Daneshvari Hospital. Using a random number table, 202 patients diagnosed with ARI and 51 patients diagnosed with CAP were selected. The real-time PCR method was used for primary screening; nested PCR was performed in the VP2/VP4 gene region for phylogenetic investigations, and MEGA software drew a phylogenetic tree. Results: The highest level of rhinovirus infection was seen in subjects under 18 years of age, males, and during the spring season. In this study, the genotypes of HRV-A (including A15, A29, A40, A47, A58, A67, and A80) and HRV-C (including C39 and C44) and two samples of enterovirus D68 were found. Conclusion: Like other studies conducted in Asia, the most detected genotypes were HRV-A and HRV-C. Conducting further studies with a larger sample size and in different geographical regions of Iran will provide us with more comprehensive information about the frequency of rhinoviruses and common genotypes.