Indeed, a growing number of clinical laboratories are adopting multiplex PCR-based assays for the detection of respiratory viruses that include HRVs ( 5). Our enhanced understanding of the spectrum of illness of HRVs draws largely from advances in molecular methods that have facilitated the detection and characterization of HRV groups and strains. However, while once thought to cause relatively benign upper respiratory tract illness, HRVs are now linked to exacerbations of chronic pulmonary disease, asthma development, and, more recently, severe bronchiolitis in infants and children as well as fatal pneumonia in elderly and immunocompromised adults. Worldwide and nearly year-round, HRV is the most common cause of upper respiratory tract infection (URI), leading to considerable economic burdens in terms of medical visits and school and work absenteeism ( 1– 4). Nearly 60 years later, the search for a “cure” for the common cold virus is still ongoing. Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) were first discovered in the 1950s in an effort to identify the etiology of the common cold. This review provides a comprehensive, up-to-date assessment of the basic virology, pathogenesis, clinical epidemiology, and laboratory features of and treatment and prevention strategies for HRVs. There are currently no approved antiviral therapies for HRVs, and treatment remains primarily supportive. Indeed, whether the clinical manifestations of HRV are related directly to viral pathogenicity or secondary to the host immune response is the subject of ongoing research. Cultured isolates of HRV remain important for studies of viral characteristics and disease pathogenesis. In recent years, the increasing implementation of PCR assays for respiratory virus detection in clinical laboratories has facilitated the recognition of HRV as a lower respiratory tract pathogen, particularly in patients with asthma, infants, elderly patients, and immunocompromised hosts. HRVs are traditionally associated with upper respiratory tract infection, otitis media, and sinusitis. Advances in molecular methods have enhanced our understanding of the genomic structure of HRV and have led to the characterization of three genetically distinct HRV groups, designated groups A, B, and C, within the genus Enterovirus and the family Picornaviridae. Human rhinoviruses (HRVs), first discovered in the 1950s, are responsible for more than one-half of cold-like illnesses and cost billions of dollars annually in medical visits and missed days of work.
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