High Correlation between Human Rhinovirus Type C and Children with Asthma Exacerbations

Background/Purposes: Human rhinovirus type C (HRV-C) has been associated with asthma attacks in children in several countries. We hypothesized that HRV may be the most common pathogen causing pediatric asthma in Taiwan, and that HRV-C may be responsible for more asthma attacks than other types of HRV. We sought to investigate the prevalence of respiratory viruses in children with acute lower respiratory tract illness in Taiwan and the association between different types of HRV and asthma exacerbations in children.

Methods: This prospective study was conducted from 2011 to 2013, and enrolled children with asthma exacerbations (AEs; n=28) and acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs; n=66). Viruses were detected by culture, antigen test, RT-PCR, and molecular sequencing of nasopharyngeal swabs.

Results: The prevalence of identified viruses was 78.6% in the AE group and 65.2% in the ALRTI group. The prevalence rates of HRV and HRV-C were significantly higher in the AE group than in the ALRTI group (67.9% vs. 33.3% with p=0.002 in HRV, and 50% vs. 15.2% with p

Conclusions: Human rhinovirus is the most predominant viral infection responsible for pediatric asthma exacerbations in Taiwan, and HRV-C is responsible for more of these exacerbations than HRV-A or HRV-B.