human rhinovirus molecular epidemiology and genotyping in iranian military trainees with acute respiratory symptoms

Background: human rhinovirus (hrv) is still the most prevalent viral infection in humans and a significant cause of acute respiratory tract infections (artis) in many communities, including military personnel undergoing basic training. objectives: in this research, we assessed the molecular epidemiology, genotyping, and phylogenetic classification of hrvs in iranian military trainees with respiratory infections (ri). methods: for hrv identification and genotyping, respiratory specimens were obtained, and rt-pcr was conducted for genotyping and phylogenetic analysis of hrv utilizing primers for the 5-utr region. results: among 400 iranian military trainees (average age of 21 ± 4 years, the range of 18 57 years) with respiratory infections, hrv was detected in 29 patients (7%) using rt-pcr. the direct sequencing of pcr products from 10 specimens showed that the incidence of type a (n = 5, 50%) was higher than that of type b (n = 4, 40%) and type c (n = 1, 10%). there were no significant associations between hrv and respiratory and clinical symptoms, blood group, and indoor or outdoor conditions (p-value: 0.05). conclusions: this research was the first to record hrv as a significant cause of respiratory problems among military trainees in iran, with a frequency of 7%. the most prevalent genotype was hrva, which may be applicable in epidemiological and clinical studies, as well as vaccination plans.