70 Years of Rhinoviruses: From the Common Cold to Complex Pathogens
A Special Issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915) belonging to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1461
Editor
Interests: rhinovirus Infections; asthma; antibody responses; microarray technology; personalized medicine; antiviral vaccines
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Since the first isolation of rhinoviruses (RVs) seven decades ago, our understanding of these viruses has radically changed. Previously, they were merely considered the simple cause of the “common cold”, but today we recognize these small, non-enveloped RNA viruses from the Picornaviridae family as complex pathogens with profound effects on global health—especially as the main triggers for acute exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases, including asthma and COPD. Despite intensive research since the 1950s, rhinoviruses continue to pose a significant challenge. Their vast antigenic diversity—comprising approximately 160 different strains of species A, B, and C—and their use of three different cell surface receptors make the development of widespread immunity difficult. Consequently, infections remain prevalent, with children being particularly affected. To date, however, neither an effective vaccine nor an antiviral therapy has been approved.
This Special Issue of Viruses celebrates 70 years of rhinovirus research by bridging the gap between historical milestones and the latest breakthroughs in modern virology. We invite original research, clinical studies, and comprehensive reviews that advance our understanding of RV structure, genetic diversity, infections, host–virus interactions, immunopathology as well as the development of vaccines or antiviral agents.
Dr. Katarzyna Niespodziana
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- rhinovirus (RV)
- asthma
- COPD
- airway
- infection
- immunity
- diversity
- therapy
- vaccine
- history
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
