Research Article

Picornavirus infections in children diagnosed by RT-PCR during longitudinal surveillance with weekly sampling: Association with symptomatic illness and effect of season†

  1. Birgit Winther1,*,
  2. Frederick G. Hayden2,
  3. J. Owen Hendley3

Article first published online: 22 MAR 2006

DOI: 10.1002/jmv.20588

Issue

Journal of Medical Virology

Journal of Medical Virology

Volume 78, Issue 5, pages 644–650, May 2006

Additional Information

How to Cite

Winther, B., Hayden, F. G. and Hendley, J. O. (2006), Picornavirus infections in children diagnosed by RT-PCR during longitudinal surveillance with weekly sampling: Association with symptomatic illness and effect of season. J. Med. Virol., 78: 644–650. doi: 10.1002/jmv.20588

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia

  2. 2

    Department of Internal Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia

  3. 3

    Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia

*P.O. Box 800713, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0713.

  1. †

    This information was presented in part at the 40th Annual Meeting of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 2000, abstract #189.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 22 MAR 2006
  2. Article first published online: 22 MAR 2006
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 23 JAN 2006

Funded by

  • This work was supported in part by the Pendleton Pediatric Infectious Disease Laboratory at the University of Virginia, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc (Ridgefield, CT) and the National Organization of Hearing Research Foundation (NOHR)

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Keywords:

  • rhinovirus;
  • RT-PCR;
  • viral respiratory illness;
  • asymptomatic infection;
  • longitudinal surveillance

Abstract

RT-PCR is more sensitive for rhinovirus detection than cell culture, but healthy controls are frequently rhinovirus (or picornavirus) positive in cross-sectional studies. Fifteen healthy children were followed over at least three seasons of the year with weekly sampling of nasal/nasopharyngeal secretion for RT-PCR testing for picornavirus and daily recording of respiratory symptoms. One sample positive for picornavirus was diagnosed as an infection; consecutive positive weekly samples constituted a single infection. Picornavirus illness was diagnosed if RNA was detected 7 days prior through 21 days after onset. One hundred fifty-five (21%) of 740 weekly samples were picornavirus positive and associated with illness; 37(5%) positives were not associated with illness (P = 0.001). The 192 positive samples occurred in 121 infections, 74 with a single positive and 47 with “runs” of positives in two or more consecutive samples. Forty five (96%) of the 47 runs comprised 2 or 3 consecutive positives. Ninety six (52%) of 185 reported illnesses during 235 child-months were picornavirus positive (0.4/child-month); 25 infections were asymptomatic (0.11/child-month). The infection rate was highest in fall (0.66/child-month); the winter rate (0.44/child-month) was similar to that in spring (0.5) and summer (0.43). Picornavirus infections in healthy children were common (0.51/child-month), episodic, and usually associated with brief illness; one fifth of infections were asymptomatic. The infection rate was highest in fall; infections in winter occurred at the same rate as in spring and summer. J. Med. Virol. 78:644–650, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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