The objective of this study was to investigate human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) prevalence among the other respiratory viruses such as parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and non-enteric adenoviruses in clinical specimens of Egyptian children and raw sewage samples. One hundred clinical specimens were collected from Egyptian children suffering from upper and lower respiratory viral infections in the years 2005–2006 to detect HCoV-NL63 genome using RT-PCR. All the specimens were negative for the virus. Also, a complete absence of HCoV-NL63 genome was observed in the twenty-four raw sewage samples collected from two wastewater treatment plants within Greater Cairo from February 2006 to January 2007. Using nested RT-PCR, parainfluenza virus type 1, respiratory syncytial virus type A, adenovirus type 4, and adenovirus type 7 were detected in 3%, 2%, 5%, and 2% of the clinical specimens, respectively. Of these viruses, only adenovirus type 4 was detected in 1/24 (4.17%) of the raw sewage samples, while a complete absence of the other investigated respiratory viruses was observed in the raw sewage samples. The low percentage of positivity in the clinical specimens, the concentration method of the raw sewage samples, and the indirect routes of transmission may be the reasons for the absence of respiratory viruses in raw sewage samples. On the other hand, enteric adenoviruses were detected in 21/24 (87.5%) of the raw sewage samples with a higher prevalence of adenovirus type 41 than adenovirus type 40. A direct route of transmission of enteric viruses to raw sewage may be the reason for the high positivity percentage of enteric adenoviruses in raw sewage samples.

本研究的目的是调查人类冠状病毒 NL63 (HCoV-NL63) 在埃及儿童临床样本和原始污水样本中在副流感病毒、呼吸道合胞病毒和非肠道腺病毒等其他呼吸道病毒中的流行率。在 2005 年至 2006 年期间，从患有上呼吸道和下呼吸道病毒感染的埃及儿童中收集了 100 份临床标本，以使用 RT-PCR 检测 HCoV-NL63 基因组。所有样本均呈病毒阴性。此外，在 2006 年 2 月至 2007 年 1 月从大开罗的两个污水处理厂收集的 24 个未处理污水样本中观察到完全没有 HCoV-NL63 基因组。使用巢式 RT-PCR，1 型副流感病毒，呼吸道合胞病毒A型，腺病毒4型，分别在 3%、2%、5% 和 2% 的临床标本中检测到 7 型腺病毒和 7 型腺病毒。在这些病毒中，1/24 (4.17%) 的原始污水样本中仅检测到 4 型腺病毒，而在原始污水样本中完全没有其他已研究的呼吸道病毒。临床标本阳性率低、原污水样本的浓缩方式、间接传播途径可能是原污水样本中不存在呼吸道病毒的原因。另一方面，在 21/24 (87.5%) 的原始污水样本中检出肠道腺病毒，其中 41 型腺病毒的流行率高于 40 型腺病毒。