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Respiratory Consequences of Rhinovirus Infection

2003; American Medical Association; Volume: 163; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1001/archinte.163.3.278

1538-3679

Stephen B. Greenberg,

Asthma and respiratory diseases

Rhinoviruses, a genus of the family Picornaviridae, are the cause of more than 50% of respiratory tract infections. Complications of rhinovirus infections, which include otitis media, sinusitis, exacerbations of asthma, and other pulmonary diseases, can be significant in certain populations. Reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction has allowed the identification of rhinoviruses and led to a greater appreciation of the role of this pathogen in upper and lower respiratory tract disease. Furthermore, antiviral agents with broad activity against rhinoviruses have recently been developed, have undergone clinical trials, but have not been approved for clinical use. By altering the clinical course of picornavirus infections, it may be possible to minimize their potential adverse consequences.