WO2009127154A1

WO2009127154A1 - A newly identified human rhinovirus of hrv-c and methods and kits for detecting hrv-cs

Info

Publication number: WO2009127154A1
Application number: PCT/CN2009/071310
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Gonzalez; Jianwei Wang; Zichun Xiang; Kunling Shen
Original assignee: Biomerieux; Institute Of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy Of Medical Sciences; Beijing Children's Hospital Affiliated To Capital Medical University
Priority date: 2008-04-17
Filing date: 2009-04-16
Publication date: 2009-10-22
Also published as: EP2268800A1; CN102007208A; EP2268800A4; US8709779B2; WO2009127081A1; CN102007208B; US20110111391A1; EP2268800B1

Abstract

The characterization of a new strain of human rhinovirus of genetic group C (HRV-C) as well as methods and kits for detecting the presence of HRV-C by PCR amplification are provided.

Description

A newly Identified Human Rhinovirus of HRV-C and Methods and Kits for Detecting

HRV-Cs

Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to the identification and detection of human rhino viruses. More particularly, the present invention relates to the characterization of a new strain of human rhinovirus of genetic group C (HRV-C) as well as methods and kits for detecting the presence of HRV-C, for instance, by PCR amplification.

Background of the Invention

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are the major cause of common cold. Although the majority of HRV infections only cause mild disease, Rhinoviruses can also cause lower respiratory tract infections resulting in severe disease in children, in the elderly and in immunosuppressed patients. Their impact on overall morbidity and their economic cost worldwide are considerable.

Rhinoviruses are small RNA, non-enveloped, viruses belonging to the family picornaviridae . Until now, over 100 serotypes of Rhinoviruses have been identified by specific antisera in a collaborative program supported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Rhinoviruses are divided into major (90%) and minor (10%) groups, according to their cellular receptor usage. An alternative classification, dividing the viruses into group A and B, based on sensitivity to antiviral compounds and correlating with sequence similarities and pathogenicity, has also been proposed ^.

In recent years, some researchers have identified new rhinoviruses which cannot be classified into traditional group A or B. McErlean et al ^ screened 1244 nasopharyngeal aspirates collected from patients aged from 1 day to 80 years who presented to Queensland hospitals or general practitioners with symptoms of acute respiratory tract infections during 2003. Among the samples screened, 17 were identified as new rhinovirus positive and the authors named the new rhinovirus as HRV-QPM, which was classified into HRV- A2. The whole genome of HRV-QPM is shorter than all other known HRVs' and isolation of the strain was unsuccessful using human cell lines HeLa-Ohio, A549, MRC-5 and WB 8. Kistler et al ^ used virochip to test samples from recruited adults who had cold symptoms from the fall of 2001 to December of 2004. They found 5 divergent HRVs named as HRVX', which possessed slightly more sequence similarity to HRV-A than to HRV-B reference serotypes. None of the divergent HRVX' isolates were culturable. Lee et al ^ used Respiratory Multicode Assay to analyze nasal lavage samples of infants. They found 5 distinct strains and proposed that they represent a new HRV genetic group (HRV-C). None of the samples containing the new HRV strains produced cytopathic effect (CPE) in standard WI-38 or MRC-5 cell cultures used for the detection and isolation of HRV. Using RT-PCR method, Lau et al ^ screened 200 Nasopharyngeal Aspirates (NPAs) collected from hospitalized children during a 1-year period (November 2004 to October 2005). They found 21 positive for HRV which belonged to a distinct genetic cluster, i.e., clade C, with nucleotide identity of <63% to known HRV-A strains and nucleotide identity of <61% to known HRV-B strains. Renwick et al ^ used MassTag PCR to investigate 97 nasopharyngeal aspirates from children hospitals during the interval of 2003-2006. They found 30 HRV sequences which did not match with known HRVA, HRVB, or Human Enterovirus (HEV) sequences.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention is based on the discovery of a new Rhinovirus strain of HRV-C, named BCHO 19, which is believed to be associated with severe respiratory illness. The genomic sequence of BCHO 19 is set out in Figure 1 and SEQ ID NO: 1. The organization of the genome of BCHO 19 is depicted in Figure 2.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention relates to an isolated HRV-C Rhinovirus having a RNA genome, said genome comprising a polynucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a sequence identified as SEQ ID NO: 1,

(ii) a sequence which exhibits at least 75% identity, preferably at least 80%,

85%, 90% or 95% identity with SEQ ID NO: 1, and (iii) a complementary sequence of a sequence identified in (i) or (ii). Furthermore its genome comprises at least one reading frame encoding a polyprotein, the sequence of which is identified as SEQ NO: 20. The invention also relates to nucleic acid sequences of said virus as well as the use of the above polynucleotide or fragments thereof in designing primers or probes for detecting HRV-C Rhinovirus in a sample.

The present invention also concerns nucleic fragments comprising or consisting of at least 50 consecutive nucleotides, preferably at least 100, 150 or 200 consecutive nucleotides, belonging to a nucleotide sequence starting at nucleotide 627 and ending at nucleotide 7064 of SEQ ID NO: 1, or belonging to a nucleotide sequence which exhibits at least 85% identity, preferably at least 90 or 95% identity with the nucleotide sequence starting at nucleotide 627 and ending at nucleotide 7064 of SEQ ID NO: 1 or their complementary sequences; and especially the following fragments respectively identified in SEQ ID NO: 21 (VP4 nt 627-827 inclusive), SEQ ID NO: 22 (VP2 nt 828-1613 inclusive) and SEQ ID NO: 23 (PCR product nt 556-886 inclusive) and the variants which exhibit at least 85% identity, preferably at least 90 or 95% identity, respectively or their complementary sequences.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a pair of primers for amplifying a strain of HRV-C in a sample by PCR amplification, wherein at least one primer comprises a nucleotide sequence which consists of 18 to 30 consecutive nucleotides, especially 18 to 25 consecutive nucleotides, within the region from about nucleotide 556 to about nucleotide 886 of SEQ ID NO: 1. In a preferred embodiment, the pair of primers comprises a forward primer 556F as set out in SEQ ID NO: 6 and a reverse primer 886R as set out in SEQ ID NO: 7.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a kit for PCR amplifying a strain of HRV-C in a sample comprising at least one primer pair of the present invention as mentioned above.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for detecting the presence of a strain of HRV-C in a sample, comprising the steps of:

(a) extracting nucleic acid from the sample,

(b) amplifying the extracted nucleic acid, and

(c) determining the presence of one or more nucleic acid sequences, wherein the amplification step is, for instance, performed by RT-PCR, by using at least one primer pair of the present invention as mentioned above. Other techniques exist for amplifying a target in a sample. By way of example NASBA and TMA technologies are cited.

The sample is selected from the group consisting of human oral and nasal samples (obtained from nasal lavage, nasopharyngeal aspirate, bronchial lavage, sputum, oral and nasal swabs) and viral culture supernatants.

The nucleotide sequences listed as SEQ ID Nos: 1, 21, 22 and 23 correspond to cDNA obtained from the reverse transcription of genomic RNA.

In other aspects, the invention concerns:

(a) an isolated protein:

- encoded by a polynucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of: (i) a sequence identified as SEQ ID NO: 1, (ii) a sequence which exhibits at least 75% identity with SEQ ID NO: 1, and (iii) a complementary sequence of a sequence identified in (i) or (ii); or

- encoded by a nucleic fragment of a polynucleotide, the nucleotide sequence of which is defined above in (i), (ii) or (iii); or

- comprising or consisting of an amino acid sequence identified as SEQ. ID. NO: 20;

(b) a polypeptide the amino acid sequence of which comprises or consists of at least 15 consecutive amino acids, preferably of at least 20 consecutive amino acids, advantageously of at least 30 consecutive amino acids of a protein as defined above in (a);

(c) an antibody having specificity against an epitope of a protein as defined above in (a) or (b);

(d) a method for detecting the presence of a strain of HRV-C in a sample comprising the steps of contacting the sample with a protein as defined above in (a) or with a polypeptide as defined above in (b) and detecting the presence of an immune complex formed between the protein or polypeptide and anti-HRV-C antibodies, for example by immuno-enzymatic methods including colorimetric, fluorescent, luminescent or electrochemistry detection such as Western Blot, sandwich immunoassay and competition technology; the sample being preferably a human sample selected from the group consisting of blood, plasma and serum;

(e) a method for detecting the presence of a strain of HRV-C in a sample comprising the steps of contacting the sample with at least one anti-HRV-C antibody having a specificity against an epitope of a HRV-C protein of the strain and detecting the presence of an immune complex of antibody/HRV-C protein, for example by immuno-enzymatic methods including colorimetric, fluorescent, luminescent or electrochemistry detection such as Western Blot, sandwich immunoassay and competition technology; the sample being preferably selected from the group consisting of human oral and nasal samples (obtained from nasal lavage, nasopharyngeal aspirate, bronchial lavage, sputum, oral and nasal swabs) and viral culture supernatants;

(f) a kit for the diagnosis of a strain of HRV-C characterized in that it comprises at least one protein or at least one polypeptide as defined above in (a) or (b);

(g) a kit for the diagnosis of a strain of HRV-C characterized in that it comprises at least one antibody as defined above in (c).

Proteins and polypeptides can be produced by recombinant technology or chemical synthesis.

Antibodies can be polyclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibodies, recombinant antibodies or fragments thereof, such as Fab, Fab', Fab'2, scFv, Fv.

These and other aspects, advantages, and features of the invention will become apparent from the following figures and detailed description of the specific embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 set out the genomic sequence of BCHO 19.

Figure 2 depicts the genomic organization of BCHO 19 (panel A) and positions of the 3 different clones initially obtained by random PCR (panel B).

Figure 3 shows the results of phylogenetic analysis of HRVs: bootstrapped neighbor- joining tree was constructed based on full-length nucleotide sequence of all known HRVs and some HEVs.

Figure 4 shows the PCR products obtained by using primers targeting protein coding regions of BCHO 19. The PCR products were separated on agarose gel.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention is based on the discovery of a new Rhinovirus strain, named BCHO 19, which is believed to be associated with severe respiratory illness. The full genomic sequence of BCHO 19 is set out in Figure 1 and SEQ ID NO: 1. Genomic characterization showed that the full genome of BCHO 19 spans 7121nt, including a 5'-UTR (626nt), a polyprotein coding sequence (6438nt), a 3'-UTR (38nt), and a polyA tail (Fig. 2). The organization of the coding region of the precursor polyprotein in BCHO 19 is same as that in all the known HRVs, which has a highly conserved translation initiation site (encoding MGAQVS) and regions corresponding to the capsid genes VP4, VP2, VP3, VPl and non-structural genes 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D.

After phylogenetic analysis with software MEGA 4, a bootstrapped neighbor-joining tree based on full-length nucleotide sequence of all known HRVs and some HEVs was constructed and it showed that BCHO 19 is a distinct rhinovirus which belongs to group C of HRV rather than to group A or B (Fig. 3). VPl is the major protein to form the canyon and the drug-binding pocket of the capsid. The canyon is the receptor-binding site. VP4 gene is the most conservative region in all the structure protein of HRVs.

The fact that BCHO 19 was the unique microorganism detected in the nasopharyngeal aspirate sample from a patient (sample number BCHO 19) clinically diagnosed as bronchopneumonia suggests a close correlation between BCHO 19 and the symptoms of acute lower respiratory tract infection developed in this patient.

In another aspect, the present invention provides primers, kits, and methods for specifically amplifying a strain of HRV-C in a sample by PCR amplification. The primers of the invention are designed targeting the region around the VP4 gene of BCHO 19. In one embodiment of the invention, at least one primer of the invention comprises a nucleotide sequence corresponding to 18-25 consecutive nucleotides within the region from about 70 bp 5 '-upstream of VP4 gene to about 60 bp 3 '-downstream of VP4 gene of the genomic sequence of BCH019, i.e., from about nucleotide 556 to about nucleotide 886 of SEQ ID NO: 1. In another embodiment, the region to be amplified by a primer pair of the invention includes a region about 70 bp 5 '-upstream of VP4 gene (the 3 '-terminal region of the 5'UTR, which is conservative for all the rhinovirus), the whole VP4 gene, and a region about 60 bp 3 '-downstream of VP4 gene (the 5 '-terminal region of the VP2 gene, which is conservative only for HRV-C). In this embodiment, the forward primer is designed according to the sequence of the 3 '-terminal region of the 5'UTR, which is conservative for all the rhino virus, while the reverse primer is designed according to the sequence of the 5'- terminal region of the VP2 gene, which is conservative only for HRV-C.

The designing of a primer for amplifying a given nucleotide sequence is within the reach of those skilled in the art. Softwares to assist the designing of a primer are available in the art, for example, Vector NTI Advance 10 (Invitrogen). Factors to be taken into account in the designing of primers include the length, Tm, avoiding of formation of secondary structure, etc, and are also known for those in the art.

In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the forward primer is 556F (5'- ACTACTTTGGGTGTCCGTGTTTC-3', SEQ ID NO: 6), and the reverse primer is 886R (5 '-TTTCCRATAGTGATTTGCTTKAGCC-S ', SEQ ID NO: 7). The region covered by this primer pair is from 70 bp 5 '-upstream of VP4 gene to 59 bp 3 '-downstream of VP4 gene in genome of BCH019, i.e., from nucleotide 556 to nucleotide 886 of SEQ ID NO: 1.

As shown in the examples, the primer pair of 556F and 886R was used to screen clinical samples and the results showed that some of the samples screened also contained rhino viruses which are belong to HRV Clade C.

Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a pair of primers for amplifying a strain of HRV-C in a sample by PCR amplification, wherein the pair of primers comprises a forward primer 556F as set out in SEQ ID NO: 6 and a reverse primer 886R as set out in SEQ ID NO: 7.

The present invention further provides a kit for amplifying a strain of HRV-C in a sample comprising at least one primer pair of the present invention as mentioned above.

In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a method for detecting the presence of a strain of HRV-C in a sample from a mammal, comprising the steps of:

(a) extracting nucleic acid from the sample,

(b) amplifying the extracted nucleic acid, and

(c) determining the presence of nucleic acid sequences(s) specific for HRV-C, wherein the amplification step is, for instance, performed by an RT-PCR amplification by using at least one primer pair of the present invention.

The sample that can be tested according to the present invention can be nasal lavage, nasopharyngeal aspirate, bronchial lavage, or sputum. With the method of the invention, it is possible to further clarify and characterize whether the infectious agent of a common cold is HRV-C and thus it would benefit the patients with a common cold by treating the patients according to the specific infectious agent.

Examples

Example 1. Identification of a new human rhinovirus of group C, named BCH019

Case introduction

This new Rhinovirus strain was identified from nasopharyngeal aspirate sample obtained from a 2 months old male infant (sample number BCHO 19) clinically diagnosed as bronchopneumonia. The patient was negative for anti-IgM against CMV, EBV, HSV and CoX. An exclusion test of the nasopharyngeal aspirate sample gave negative results for known respiratory tract viruses (including human parainfluenza viruses 1-4, influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial viruse, human enteroviruses, human rhinoviruses human coronaviruses 229E, NL63, HKUl and OC43, human metapneumovirus human adenoviruses and bocavirus). There were only normal bacteria floras in sputum culture. The nucleic acid was extracted from the nasopharyngeal aspirate sample of this patient and amplified by Random PCR in order to find unknown pathogenic microorganisms.

Random PCR

Random PCR can be used to detect both DNA and RNA viral genomes ^[7]. 3 different viruses have been identified using random PCR: human bocavirus ^, human KI polyomavirus ^ and human WU polyomavirus ^°\ The first amplification step of Random PCR uses a first random primer with a 5' end unique nucleotide universal sequence, containing restriction enzyme sites for subsequent cloning, followed by a degenerate hexa- or heptamer sequence at the 3' end. After the first amplification step, a subsequent PCR amplification step is carried out with a second, specific primer complementary to the 5' universal region of the first random primer.

Nasopharyngeal aspirates were obtained from hospitalized children in Beijing Children Hospital in April 2007. To test the respiratory tract samples that were found negative for common pathogenic microorganisms, a random PCR method previously described ^⁸' ¹^ was used with some modifications. In brief, the samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min. in a Sigma 3k30 table-top centrifuge to remove cell debris. 200 μl of the cell-free supernatant was filtered through a 0.2 μm Super® Membrane (Acrodisc® 25mm Syringe Filter, Pall). 20 μl of RNase free DNase I (Promega) was added, and the samples were incubated for 60 min. at 37°C. Nucleic acid was extracted by using the NucliSens basic kit extraction module (bioMerieux). 10 μl of nucleic acid was mixed with 0.4 μl of universal primer FR26RV-N (5 '-GCCGGAGCTCTGCAGATATCNNNNNN-S ', SEQ ID NO: 2) at 50 μM and 1.7 μl sterile deionized water. The samples were incubated at 65°C for 5 min., and then chilled on ice. A reaction reagent mixture of 7.9 μl containing 4 μl of 5xFirst-Strand buffer (Invitrogen), 2 μl of 100 mM DTT (Invitrogen), 1 μl solution containing each dNTP (Invitrogen) at 10 mM, 8 units (0.4 μl) of recombinant RNase inhibitor (Ambion), and 100 units (0.5 μl) of Superscript II reverse transcriptase (Invitrogen) was added. The reaction mixture was incubated at 25°C for 10 min. and then 42°C for 50 min. After a denaturation step at 94°C for 3 min. and chilling on ice, 2.5 units (0.5 μl) of 3'- 5' exo-Klenow DNA polymerase (New England Biolabs) were added, and the reaction mixture was incubated at 37°C for 1 h, followed by an enzyme inactivation step at 75°C for 10 min. 5 μl of each reaction mixture was used as a template in a subsequent PCR. The 50 μl reaction mixture consisted of 5 μl 10^χExTaq buffer (Mg²⁺ plus) (TaKaRa), each dNTP at 0.2 mM (TaKaRa), 40 pmol of the specific primer FR20RV (5'- GCCGGAGCTCTGCAGATATC-3', SEQ ID NO: 3) (which is specific for the universal primer FR26RV-N), and 2.5 units of ExTaq (TaKaRa). After 10 min at 94°C, 40 cycles of amplification (94°C for 1 min, 65°C for 1 min, and 72°C for 2 min.) were performed in GeneAmp® PCR System 9700 (Applied Biosystem).

Cloning and sequencing PCR products

The amplification products obtained as above were purified by using a QIAquick PCR Purification Kit (Qiagen). Products were then separated on an agarose gel and fragments between ^ 500 and 2000 bp in length were excised and extracted by QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit (Qiagen). Purified PCR products were ligated to the pMD18-T vector (TaKaRa) and introduced into chemically competent E. coli DHlOB (Invitrogen). Bacteria were cultured on ampicillin-X-Gal (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl- β -D-galactopyranoside) agar plates, allowing blue-white screening. White colonies were picked and cultured for 2 h in 1 ml of Luria-Bertani broth plus ampicillin.

For subsequent PCR amplification of the cloned inserts, 1 μl of bacterial suspension was added to the PCR mixture containing 0.2 μM of the pMD18-T vector primers M13fwd (5 '-CGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAGTCACGAC-S ', SEQ ID NO: 4) and M13rev (5'- GAGCGGATAACAATTTCACACAGG-3', SEQ ID NO: 5), 2 mM of each dNTP, 2 μl 10^χExTaq buffer, and 1.25 U of Taq DNA polymerase in a total reaction volume of 20 μl. Cycling was performed as follows: 1 cycle of 94°C for 3 min., followed by 30 cycles of denaturation at 94°C for 30 s, annealing at 55°C for 30 s, and extension at 72°C for 1 min.

To avoid repeated sequencing of the same cloned PCR products or primer dimers, only PCR products that were larger than 250 bp and that differed in size were sent to a commercial company to get the sequence.

Obtaining the full genomic sequence of BCHO 19

From the sample of a patient with the index sample number BCHO 19 who was negative for all the familiar respiratory tract viruses and bacteria tested, 185 clones of random PCR were obtained, and 6 of them were found as rhino virus positive, representing 3 different fragments of a rhinovirus genome. Sequences of 3 initial different clones were then used to design new PCR primers to ligate the gaps step by step. 1 μl of nucleic acid extracted from BCHO 19 was used as template for the one-step RT PCR. The 20 μl reaction mixture consisted of 10 μl 2xReaction Mix (Invitrogen), 1 μl Superscript™IIIRT/platinum® Taq Mix (Invitrogen), 20 pmol each of the primers. After 45min at 48°C and 3 min. at 94°C, 35 cycles of amplification were performed. Products were visualized on an agarose gel and extracted, then ligated with pMD18-T vector. After transformed into competent DHlOB and cultured, the clones containing the product were sent to a commercial company to get the sequence. The terminal sequences were amplified using RACE system for rapid amplification of cDNA ends (Invitrogen).

Sequences obtained were analyzed for sequence homology with nucleotide sequences available in the GenBank database by using the BLASTn and the MEGA 4 software. Characterization of the genome ofBCH019

The 3 initial different clones represented 3 different fragments of a rhinovirus genome (Fig. 2B). The first was 307 bp covering the region of 5'UTR/VP4, the second was 494bp covering the region of VP2/VP3, and the third was 635 bp covering the region of 2C/3A. Series PCR primers were designed, with which most of genomic fragments were obtained step by step. Then the RACE system of Invitrogen was used to obtain the 5' end and 3' end terminal sequences of the genome. This new virus is identified as a rhinovirus and named BCHO 19, the entire genomic sequence of which is set out in Figure 1 and SEQ ID NO: 1.

The genome of BCH019 spans 7121nt, including 5'UTR (626 nt), polyprotein coding sequence (6438 nt), 3'UTR (38 nt) and polyA tail (Fig. 2A). The organization of precursor polyprotein is same as all the HRV, which has a highly conserved translation initiation site (MGAQVS) and regions corresponding to the sequences encoding structural proteins VP4, VP2, VP3, VPl and non structural proteins 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D (Fig. 2A).

Phylogenetic analysis

Phylogenetic tree was constructed based on alignments of BCHO 19 with all the complete sequence of HRV serotypes (Human rhinovirus sp. isolate NAT045 [F077280], Human rhinovirus sp. isolate NATOOl [EF077279], Human rhinovirus QPM [EF 186077], Human rhinovirus C strain 026 [EF582387], Human rhinovirus C strain 025 [EF582386], Human rhinovirus C strain 024 [EF582385], HRV89 [NC 001617], B [NC 001490], 93 [EF173425], 52 [EF173424], 37 [EF173423], 3 [EF173422], 27 [EF173421], 17 [EF173420], 94 [EF173419], 78 [EF173418], 64 [EF173417], 24 [EF173416], 12 [EF173415], 11 [EF173414], 30 [DQ473512], 55 [DQ473511], 75 [DQ473510], A [DQ473509], 28 [DQ473508], 53 [DQ473507], 46 [DQ473506], 36 [DQ473505], 88 [DQ473504], 7 [DQ473503], 76 [DQ473502], 34 [DQ473501], 59 [DQ473500], 44 [DQ473499], 10 [DQ473498], 23 [DQ473497], 49 [DQ473496], 38 [DQ473495], 74 [DQ473494], 15 [DQ473493], 73 [DQ473492], 41 [DQ473491], 4 [DQ473490], 70 [DQ473489], 48 [DQ473488 ], 35 [DQ473487], 6 [ DQ473486], 2 [X02316 ], 39 [AY751783], 14 [K02121], IB [D00239], 16 [L24917]) as well as 10 HEV (Human enterovirus 68 [EF107098], Human enterovirus 70 [DQ201177], Human poliovirus type 1 [VOl 148], Poliovirus type 2 [X00595], Human coxsackievirus A2 [AY421760], Human coxsackievirus A6 [AY421764], Echovirus 1 [AF029859], Human echovirus 6 [AY302558], Coxsackievirus B2 [AF081485], and Human coxsackievirus Al [AF499635]) sequences (Fig. 3).

It was found that the sequence of BCHO 19 represents a distinct new human rhinovirus. Even comparing with HRV NAT045, the closest HRV strain in phylogenetic tree, the similarity between BCHO 19 and HRV NAT045 was only 66.7%. BCHO 19 and some other recently discovered rhinoviruses including HRV-QPM, HRV-NAT045, 001, HRV-C 024, 025, and 026 clearly belong to a separate clade, HRV-C.

Example 2. Verification of the genomic sequence of BCH019

To verify the sequence of BCHO 19, nucleic acid of sample BCHO 19 was extracted again. Newly designed specific primers targeting all the putative coding protein were used to amplify the genes. Primer VP4 (5 '-ATGGGTGCACAAGTGAGTAA-S ', SEQ ID NO: 8) and primer VP2R (5 '-GCTATTGCTTTTGGGTTTG-S ', SEQ ID NO: 9) were designed to amplify VP4 and VP2 genes (Fig 4B). Primer VP3 (5'- GGGCTACCAACCAGACTACCAA-3', SEQ ID NO: 10) and primer VP3R (5'- CGATATGTTGTTACTAGGCTGTTC-3', SEQ ID NO: 11) were designed to amplify VP3 gene (Fig 4D). Primer 2A (5 '-GGACCCAGTGATTTATTTGTACA-S ', SEQ ID NO: 12) and primer 2BR (5 '-CTGCTTGGAGGGCGGTTTA-S ', SEQ ID NO: 13) were designed to amplify 2A and 2B genes (Fig 4D). Primer 2C (5 '-CAGTGGTGATGGTTGGCTC-S ', SEQ ID NO: 14) and primer 2CR (5 '-GCGTTGGAATATTGCATCTAG-S ', SEQ ID NO: 15) were designed to amplify 2C gene (Fig 4A). Primer 3A (5'- GATTAGGAGATTCTGAGACACCA-3', SEQ ID NO: 16) and primer 3CR (5'- CGCTGGGTGTCATTAAAGTATT-3', SEQ ID NO: 17) were designed to amplify 3 A, 3B and 3C genes (Fig 4D). Primer 3D (5 '-TGCTATCACACATGTCCAAGA-S ', SEQ ID NO: 18) and primer 3DR (5 '-GAAATTGTCAAGCCACTGC-S ', SEQ ID NO: 19) were designed to amplify 3D gene (Fig 4C).

Figure 4 shows the PCR products obtained by using primers targeting the protein coding regions of BCHO 19. At least 3 clones of each PCR products were sequenced to make sure the accuracy of the sequence of each region. The result confirmed the existence of the rhinovirus BCHO 19 in this sample and the accuracy of the sequence. Example 3. Detection of HRV-Cs in samples from patients with respiratory infections Designing PCR primers for determining human rhinovirus of group C VP4 gene is the most conservative region in all the structure protein, so the full-length sequences of this region of all known HRVs were compared in order to design specific primers for HRV-C. A forward primer 556F (5 '-ACTACTTTGGGTGTCCGTGTTTC-S ', SEQ ID NO: 6) and a reverse primer 886R (5 '-TTTCCRATAGTGATTTGCTTKAGCC-S ', SEQ ID NO: 7) were designed which are directed to the region from 70 bp 5 '-upstream of VP4 gene to 59 bp 3 '-downstream of VP4 gene of SEQ ID NO: 1. The forward primer 556F was designed according to the sequence of the 3 '-terminal region of the 5'UTR, which is conservative for all the rhinovirus, while the reverse primer 886R was designed according to the sequence of the 5 '-terminal region of the VP2 gene, which is conservative only for HRV-C.

To evaluate the incidence of HRV-C infection, primers 556F and 886R were used to screen clinical samples for the evidence of infection with strains of HRV-C.

Samples were extracted and amplified individually. Positive and negative controls were included in each experiment. Nucleic acid was extracted by using the NucliSens basic kit extraction module (bioMerieux). Nucleic acid (1 μl) was used as template for the PCR. The 20 μl reaction reagent mixture consisted of 10 μl 2xReaction Mix (Invitrogen), 1 μl Superscript™IIIRT/platinum® Taq Mix (Invitrogen), 20 pmol each of the primers 556F (5'- ACTACTTTGGGTGTCCGTGTTTC-3', SEQ ID NO: 6) and 886R (5'- TTTCCRATAGTGATTTGCTTKAGCC-3', SEQ ID NO: 7). After 45 min. at 48°C and 3 min at 94°C, 35 cycles of amplification (94°C for 30 sec, 55°C for 30 sec, and 72°C for 1 min.) were performed. Products were visualized on an agarose gel. The expected product size was 330 bp. All PCR products were sequenced to confirm that they were specific for HRV-C.

Detection of HRV-C infection

298 samples from BCH were screened by primers 556F and 886R and additional 13 samples were found HRV-C positive (Table 1). There were 12 males and 1 female. The age range was from 1 month 6 days to 3 years. The cases were gathered from emergency ward, pediatric ward, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) respectively. Rhinovirus is the unique respiratory virus tested in 8 cases. None cases occurred in summer (July, August and September) 2007.

Because human rhinovirus of group C is a new clade, so far it is not known if the rhinovirus of group C also has as many types as group A or B and its distribution in patients of acute respiratory tract infection. The inventors found 13 additional samples which were HRV-C positive. The result indicates that infection of the rhinovirus of group C might be common and the clinical manifestations are different as compared with infections of rhinovirus of group A or B. These data also suggest that like HRV-A and HRV-B groups, HRV-C strains are also highly genetically diverse.

Table 1 : Clinical manifestations of 14 HRV-C positive cases.

Date of

Sample hospitalizati Gender Age Clinical manifestations Diagnosis Ward Codetection

No. on

BCHO 19 April 04 M 1 mon 30days Snivel, cough Bronchopneumonia Pediatric ward -

BCH057 May 09 M 15 mon Fever (39°C), cough and asthma Bronchopneumonia Pediatric ward -

Snivel, cough, asthma, vomit, diarrhea,

BCH083 June 19 M 31 mon Bronchial asthma Pediatric ward - rhonchi

Cough, sputum, asthma, rhonchi and moist Critical care

BCH200 October 15 M 8 mon Peribronchiolitis rale room

BCH217 October 22 F 5 mon Cough, sputum, vomit, fever (40⁰C), rhonchi Pneumonia Pediatric ward -

BCH220 October 21 M 17 mon Snivel, cough, fever (38.6°C), moist rale Pneumonia pediatric ward PIV 3

BCH221 October 23 M 7 mon Cough, sputum, fever (37.8°C), moist rale Bronchopneumonia Pediatric ward RSV A

BCH237 October 30 M 1 mon 14days Cough, moist rale Bronchopneumonia PICU -

BCH242 October 31 M 3 yr Cough, fever (38°C) Pneumonia Pediatric ward -

BCH249 NovemberOβ M 1 mon 6days Cough, moist rale Bronchopneumonia PICU -

BCH250 November05 M 3 mon Cough, sputum, moist rale Bronchiolitis Pediatric ward RSV A

Ppediatric

BCH264 October 25 M 3 mon Fever (38°C) Infant hepatitis syndrome RSV A ward

November RSV A,

BCH277 M 8 mon 14 days Snivel, cough, fever (39°C) Pneumonia Pediatric ward 10 NL63

November Emergency

BCH297 M 50 days Cough, sputum, rhonchi and moist rale Pneumonia RSV A 20 room

References:

1. Papadopoulos NG and Johnston SL. Rhino viruses. In: Zuckerman AJ, Banatvala JE, Pattison JR, Griffiths PD and Schoub BD, Edited. Principles and Practice of Clinical Virology, Fifth Edition. 2004 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Pp 361 - 362. 2. McErlean P, Shackelton LA, Lambert SB, Nissen MD, Sloots TP, and Mackay IM. 2007. Characterisation of a newly identified human rhinovirus, HRV-QPM, discovered in infants with bronchiolitis. J. Clin.Virol. 39:67 - 75.

3. Kistler A, Avila PC, Rouskin S, Wang D, Ward T, Yagi S, Schnurr D, Ganem D, DeRisi JL. and Boushey HA. 2007. Pan-viral screening of respiratory tract infections in adults with and without asthma reveals unexpected human corona virus and human rhinovirus diversity. J Infect Dis 196:817 - 25.

4. Lee WM, Kiesner C, Pappas T, Lee I, Grindle K, Jartti T, Jakiela B. 2007. A diverse group of previously unrecognized human rhinoviruses are common causes of respiratory illnesses in infants. PIoS ONE 2(10):e966. 5. Lau SKP, Yip CCY, Tsoi Hoi-wah, Lee RA, So Lok-yee, Lau Yu-lung, Chan Kwok-hung, Woo PCY, and Yuen Kwok-yung. 2007. Clinical features and complete genome characterization of a distinct human rhinovirus (HRV) genetic cluster, probably representing a previously undetected HRV species, HRV-C, associated with acute respiratory illness in children. J Clin Microbiol. 45(l l):3655 - 64.

6. Renwick N, Schweiger B, Kapoor V, Liu Zhiqiang, Villari J, Bullmann R, Miething R, Briese T, and Lipkin W. I. 2007. A recently identified rhinovirus genotype is associated with severe respiratory-tract infection in children in Germany. J Infect Dis. 196:1754 - 60. 7. Ambrose HE and Clewley JP. Virus discovery by sequence-independent genome amplification. 2006. Rev. Med. Virol. 16: 365 - 83.

8. Allander T, Tammi MT, Eriksson M, Bjerkner A, Tiveljung-Lindell A, et al. 2005. Cloning of a human parvovirus by molecular screening of respiratory tract samples. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102: 12891 - 6. 9. Allander T, Andreasson K, Gupta S, Bjerkner A, Bogdanovic G, et al. 2007.

Identification of a third human polyomavirus. J Virol 81 : 4130 - 6. 10. Gaynor AM, Nissen MD, Whiley DM, Mackay IM, Lambert SB, et al. 2007. Identification of a novel polyomavirus from patients with acute respiratory tract infections. PLoS Pathog 3(5): e64. l l. Stang A, Korn K, Wildner O, andϋberlalK. 2005. Characterization of virus isolates by particle-associated nucleic acid PCR. J Clin Microbiol. 43(2):716 - 20.

Claims

1. An isolated HRV-C Rhinovirus having a RNA genome, said genome comprising a polynucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of: (iv) a sequence identified as SEQ ID NO: 1,

(v) a sequence which exhibits at least 75% identity with SEQ ID NO: 1, and (vi) a complementary sequence of a sequence identified in (i) or (ii).

2. Virus according to claim 1, characterized in that its genome comprises at least one reading frame encoding a polyprotein, the sequence of which is identified as SEQ NO: 20.

3. Nucleic acid sequence capable of being obtained from the genome of the virus as defined in claim 1.

4. Nucleic fragment, characterized in that it comprises or consists of at least 50 consecutive nucleotides, preferably at least 100 consecutive nucleotides, belonging to a nucleotide sequence starting at nucleotide 627 and ending at nucleotide 7064 of SEQ ID NO: 1 or belonging to a nucleotide sequence which exhibits at least 85% identity with the nucleotide sequence starting at nucleotide 627 and ending at nucleotide 7064 of SEQ ID NO: 1 or their complementary sequences.

5. Nucleic fragment according to claim 4, characterized in that it is selected from the group consisting of:

- SEQ ID NO: 21, a sequence which exhibits at least 85% identity with SEQ ID NO: 21 or their complementary sequences,

- SEQ ID NO: 22, a sequence which exhibits at least 85% identity with SEQ ID NO: 22 or their complementary sequences, and - SEQ ID NO: 23, a sequence which exhibits at least 85% identity with SEQ ID

NO: 23 or their complementary sequences.

6. A pair of primers for amplifying a HRV-C strain in a sample by PCR amplification, wherein at least one primer has a sequence which consists of 18-30 consecutive nucleotides within the region from about nucleotide 556 to about nucleotide 886 of SEQ ID NO: 1.

7. The pair of primers according to claim 6, wherein the forward primer consists of a nucleotide sequence as set out in SEQ ID NO: 6 and the reverse primer consists of a nucleotide sequence as set out in SEQ ID NO: 7.

8. A method for detecting the presence of a strain of HRV-C in a sample comprising the steps of:

(a) extracting nucleic acid from the sample,

(b) amplifying said extracted nucleic acid, and

(c) determining the presence of one or more nucleic acid sequences specific for HRV-C, wherein the amplification step is, for instance, performed by an RT-PCR amplification by using at least one pair of primers as defined in claim 6 or 7.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the sample is selected from the group consisting of human nasal and oral samples and culture supernatants.

10. A kit for amplifying a strain of HRV-C in a sample comprising at least one pair of primers as defined in claim 6 or 7.

11. Use of a polynucleotide sequence as defined in claim 1 or fragments thereof in designing primers or probes for detecting HRV-C Rhinovirus in a sample.

12. An isolated protein encoded by a polynucleotide sequence as defined in claim 1.

13. An isolated protein encoded by a nucleic fragment, the nucleotide sequence of which is defined in claim 4.

14. An isolated protein comprising or consisting of an amino acid sequence identified as SEQ. ID. NO: 20.

15. A polypeptide characterized in that its amino acid sequence comprises or consists of at least 15 consecutive amino acids, preferably of at least 20 consecutive amino acids, advantageously of at least 30 consecutive amino acids of a protein as defined in anyone of claims 12, 13 and 14.

16. An antibody having specificity against an epitope of a protein as claimed in anyone of claims 12 to 14.

17. A method for detecting the presence of a strain of HRV-C in a sample comprising the steps of contacting the sample with a protein as defined in anyone of claims 12 to 14 or with a polypeptide as defined in claim 15 and detecting the presence of an immune complex formed between the protein or polypeptide and anti- HRV-C antibodies.

18. A method for detecting the presence of a strain of HRV-C in a sample comprising the steps of contacting the sample with at least one antibody as defined in claim 16 and detecting the presence of an immune complex of antibody/HRV-C protein.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the sample is a human sample selected from the group consisting of blood, plasma and serum.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the sample is selected from the group consisting of human nasal and oral samples and culture supernatants.

21. A kit for the diagnosis of a strain of HRV-C characterized in that it comprises at least one protein as defined in anyone of claims 12 to 14 or a polypeptide as defined in claim 15.

22. A kit for the diagnosis of a strain of HRV-C characterized in that it comprises at least one antibody as defined in claim 16.