Diversity of Rhinovirus and Enterovirus Infections Among Pediatric Patients Hospitalized in Wisconsin, 2022–2023

Severe rhinovirus (RV)/enterovirus (EV) respiratory infections in pediatric patients increased in the US during 2022–2023. This study aimed to characterize RV/EV genetic diversity among hospitalized children in Wisconsin and describe demographic and clinical factors of patients by RV/EV type. During September 2022–April 2023, five Wisconsin pediatric hospitals submitted five RV/EV‐positive specimens weekly to CDC. Viral typing was performed using partial viral protein (VP) 4/VP2 (RV) and VP1 (EV) sequencing. Wisconsin Department of Health Services abstracted demographic, comorbid condition, and hospitalization course information from patient medical records. Ninety‐six patients were included in this investigation. RV‐C ( n = 40, 42%) and RV‐A ( n = 31, 32%) were the most frequently detected species, with 46 RV and 5 EV types identified. The median age was 2.5 (IQR: 0.7–5.5) years. Seventy‐one (74%) children had at least one comorbid condition. Asthma was more common among children with RV‐C infections ( n = 12, 30%) compared with other RVs ( n = 3, 9%) ( p = 0.02). RV‐A and RV‐C were important contributors to severe pediatric respiratory infection in Wisconsin. Molecular typing showed virus divergence typically observed during season‐long investigations. Year‐round molecular characterization is needed to better understand the contribution of RV/EV types to severe pediatric respiratory illness.