Rhinovirus (Picornaviridae)

Rhinovirus is a naked, positive-sense RNA virus in the Picornaviridae family. Unlike other picornaviruses, rhinovirus distinguishes itself as it is uniquely acid-labile, meaning it cannot survive in the hostile environment of the gastrointestinal tract and thus cannot be transmitted fecal-orally as other picornaviruses can. Instead, the rhinovirus relies primarily on respiratory transmission, frequently via inhalation or through fomites. As the leading cause of the common cold, rhinovirus enters host cells by binding to intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Rhinovirus thrives at cooler temperatures around 33°C, slightly below average body temperature, thus, it mainly infects the upper respiratory tract where the air is cooler. Unfortunately, there are no specific antiviral treatments for rhinovirus, and currently, there's no available vaccine due to its wide range of serotypes.