Prevalence and genetic diversity of human rhinovirus among patients with acute respiratory infections in China, 2012−2021

To understand the prevalence of rhinovirus (RV) among acute respiratory infection (ARI) patients, 10‐year ARI surveillance in multiple provinces of China were conducted during 2012−2021. Of 15 645 ARI patients, 1180 (7.54%) were confirmed to have RV infection and 820 (69.49%) were children under 5 years of age. RV typing was performed on the 527 VP1 gene sequences, and species A, B, and C accounted for 73.24%, 4.93%, and 21.82%, respectively. Although no significant difference in the proportions of age groups or disease severity was found between RV species, RV‐C was more frequently detected in children under 5 years of age, RV‐A was more frequently detected in elderly individuals (≥60), and the proportions of pneumonia in RV‐A and RV‐C patients were higher than those in RV‐B patients. The epidemic peak of RV‐A was earlier than that of RV‐C. A total of 57 types of RV‐A, 13 types of RV‐B, and 35 types of RV‐C were identified in RV‐infected patients, and two uncertain RV types were also detected. The findings showed a few differences in epidemiological and clinical features between RV species in ARI patients, and RV‐A and RV‐C were more prevalent than RV‐B.