A prospective case-control study on the association of Rhinovirus nasopharyngeal viral load and viremia in South African children hospitalized with severe pneumonia

Vicky L Baillie; David P Moore; Azwifarwi Mathunjwa; Palesa Morailane; Eric A F Simões; Shabir A Madhi

doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104288

A prospective case-control study on the association of Rhinovirus nasopharyngeal viral load and viremia in South African children hospitalized with severe pneumonia

J Clin Virol. 2020 Apr:125:104288. doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104288. Epub 2020 Feb 11.

Authors

Vicky L Baillie¹, David P Moore², Azwifarwi Mathunjwa², Palesa Morailane², Eric A F Simões³, Shabir A Madhi²

Affiliations

¹ Medical Research Council: Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Chair, South Africa. Electronic address: bailliev@rmpru.co.za.
² Medical Research Council: Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Chair, South Africa.
³ Medical Research Council: Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Chair, South Africa; University of Colorado School of Medicine and Colorado School of Public Health, CO, USA.

Abstract

Rhinovirus (RV) role in pathogenesis of severe childhood disease remains controversial. We aimed to explore the association between RV molecular subtyping, nasopharyngeal viral loads and viremia with childhood pneumonia. Nasopharyngeal and blood samples from cases and controls were tested for RV and the 5' non-coding region sequenced. The cases compared to controls had a similar prevalence of RV detection in the nasopharynx (23 % vs. 22 %, P = 0.66), similar RV species distribution (A, B, C = 44 %, 8%, 44 % vs. 48 %, 7%, 38 %; respectively; P = 0.66) and similar viral load (4.0 and 3.7 log10 copies/mL, P = 0.062). However, RV-viremia was 4.01-fold (aOR 95 % CI: 1.26-12.78) more prevalent among cases (7%) than controls (2%), P = 0.019. Furthermore, among cases and controls RV-C was more commonly associated with viremia (14 % and 4%, P = 0.023), than RV-A (2% and 1%; P = 0.529). Thus RV-viremia could be used as a measure for attributing causality to RV in children hospitalized for pneumonia.

Keywords: Children; Molecular epidemiology; Pneumonia; Rhinovirus; Viral load; Viremia.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Case-Control Studies
Female
Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data*
Humans
Infant
Male
Nasopharynx / virology*
Picornaviridae Infections / blood
Picornaviridae Infections / epidemiology*
Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
Prevalence
Prospective Studies
RNA, Viral / genetics
Rhinovirus / genetics
Rhinovirus / physiology
South Africa / epidemiology
Viral Load*
Viremia / epidemiology*

Substances

RNA, Viral