Adenovirus

Adenovirus

 

Adenoviruses are responsible for mild self-limiting respiratory illnesses primarily in children.

Epidemiology

  • Prevalence
    • 5-7% of respiratory infections in children
    • Year-round infection
    • Rarely fatal, but 50% of infants and young children have prolonged intermittent disease
  • Age – primary infection usually occurs before age 10
  • Transmission
    • Respiratory droplet transfer
    • Neonatal transmission following vaginal delivery (rare)

Organism

  • Double-stranded DNA virus
  • 41 known serotypes
    • Types 4 and 7 are common in military recruit outbreaks
  • Classified into 6 groups, A-F

Clinical Presentation

  • Most infections – mild respiratory illness
  • Bronchiolitis, pneumonia
  • Acute diarrhea (types 40, 41)
  • Hemorrhagic cystitis (types 11, 21)
  • Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (types 8, 19, 37)
  • Fatal adenovirus infections can occur in infants and immunocompromised adults

Diagnosis

  • Laboratory testing
    • Most cases are diagnosed on clinical grounds alone
    • Viral culture can be used in selected clinical settings
    • Serologic testing usually relies on demonstration of antibodies to group-specific antigens

Differentia Diagnosis

  • Bacterial pneumonia
  • Bordetella
  • Chlamydia pneumoniae
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Enterovirus
  • Influenza
  • Mycoplasma pneumonia
  • Parainfluenza
  • Viral gastroenteritis

Treatment

  • Treatment is supportive

See Also