NASHVILLE, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- A U.S. study finds a link between a cause of the common cold and respiratory infections such as pneumonia and acute bronchitis.
Dr. E. Kathryn Miller and colleagues at Vanderbilt University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and the University of Rochester surveyed children under the age of 5 admitted with fever and respiratory symptoms in Davidson County, Tenn., and Monroe County, N.Y., over a one-year period.
Their results showed that of the 592 children involved in the study, 26 percent tested positive for rhinovirus, representing almost five rhinovirus-associated hospitalizations per 1,000 children. The study detected more rhinoviruses -- 26 percent -- than respiratory syncytial viruses -- 20 percent -- which have been considered the major cause of respiratory infections in infants and children.
This study shows that rhinoviruses are associated with hospitalizations for fever and respiratory illnesses, even in young infants, according to the study published in the March 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, available online.
