Analysis of a potential cluster of rhinovirus infections in patients and staff on two haemato-oncology wards

Abstract Background Human rhinoviruses (HRV) cause the common cold, increased mortality in patients attending elderly care facilities and significant morbidity as well as mortality in the post-transplantation setting. Objectives The aim of the study was to determine if there had been a breakdown in infection control practice in a large haemato-oncology centre. Molecular techniques had detected increased numbers of HRV in respiratory samples from patients and staff over a 6-week period. Typing was performed to investigate the possibility of transmission between individuals. Study design This was a retrospective study having detected HRV RNA in combined nose and throat swab samples that were collected from 13 individuals: 8 patients and 5 staff members, in the haemato-oncology wards of a tertiary referral centre in January and February 2011. The 5′NTR and the VP4/VP2 region were used for HRV typing. Results All 3 HRV species were detected with 7 HRV-A, 1 HRV-B, 4 HRV-C and 1 untyped. None of the individuals were infected by the same HRV serotype. Three individuals had multiple samples collected: 1 patient had an HRV-B infection over a 4-week period, 1 patient had an HRV-A infection over 3 months and 1 staff member had an HRV-C infection over 1 week, each shedding an unchanged serotype throughout the whole period. Conclusion Nucleotide sequence analysis confirmed that there was no breakdown in infection control measures. No transmission incidents had occurred between patients and/or between staff and patients.