[Analysis of the clinical epidemiological characteristics of rhinovirus in hospitalized children aged 14 years and younger with acute respiratory tract infection in a maternal and child health hospital in Hubei Province from 2023 to 2024].

To explore the clinical epidemiological characteristics of rhinovirus (RV) infection in children hospitalized due to acute respiratory infection (ARI) in the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province. A retrospective, observational study was conducted, including 32 016 children hospitalized with acute respiratory infections (ARI) who underwent targeted high-throughput sequencing (tNGS) at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province from January 2023 to December 2024. Clinical data were collected to analyze the epidemiological characteristics and related clinical manifestations of RV. Comparisons between groups were performed using the χ2 test, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to identify risk factors associated with RV-related pneumonia. The results showed that the positive rate of RV was 21.28% (6 814/32 016). The positive rates in the age groups of <6 months, 6 months to <1 year, 1 to <3 years, 3 to <6 years, and 6 to ≤14 years were 20.38% (459/2 252), 23.14% (506/2 187), 23.76% (1 462/6 153), 24.66% (2 663/10 801), and 16.23% (1 724/10 623), respectively, with statistically significant differences (χ2=263.403, P<0.05). The detection rate of RV reached two peaks in February and May 2023; in 2024, it remained at a relatively high level from March to June and from October to November. Among the three types of RV, RV-A was the most frequently detected, with a detection rate of 58.95% (4 017/6 814). The mixed detection rate of RV with other pathogens was 51.91% (3 537/6 814). The pathogens mixed with RV were mainly Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP), followed by parainfluenza virus (PIV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (ADV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), and influenza A virus H3N2. Among the 6 814 RV-positive children included in this study, pneumonia (60.29%) was the most common clinical manifestation following RV infection.The pneumonia incidence rate in the RV mixed detection group was 68.59% (2 426/3 537), and the incidence rate of severe pneumonia was 2.71% (96/3 537). The pneumonia incidence rate in the RV single detection group was 51.33% (1 682/3 277), and the incidence rate of severe pneumonia was 1.83% (60/3 277). The pneumonia incidence rate and the incidence rate of severe pneumonia in the mixed infection group were both higher than those in the single detection group, with statistically significant differences (χ2=211.702, P<0.05; χ2=5.932, P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that co-infection was the major risk factor for pneumonia in children with RV infection [OR=1.721, 95% confidence interval(CI)=1.581-1.871, P<0.001]. In conclusion, the epidemic season of RV was concentrated in spring and autumn, and the predominant type was RV-A in this study. The age group of 3 to <6 years had the highest positive rate of RV. RV is prone to co-infection with other respiratory pathogens, with MP being the most common. Mixed infection may lead to aggravated conditions and should be given attention in clinical practice.