[Characterization of isolated adenovirus associated with acute lower respiratory infection in pediatrics].
BACKGROUND
Acute respiratory infection (ARI) are a health care problem as the adenovirus (ADV) has shown to be one of the most frequent viral agents detected in children admitted for mild ARI in the authors medium.


METHODS
Over a 7-year period (1988-1994) ADV isolated from patients under the age of 5, admitted for mild ARI in hospitals in the city of Buenos Aires (Argentina). All the strains were isolated in HEp-2 cell cultures from nasopharyngeal aspirates in which the presence of ADV was detected by indirect immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies. Antigenic characterization was performed by sero- and genome neutralization with restriction enzymes.


RESULTS
The isolates corresponded to the genomic variants of ADV 7i, ADV 7c and to a greater number of ADV 7h. An increase was observed in the quantity of cases in the second half of the year. In the population studied, the most commonly infected were males (67.9%) and patients from 2 months to 1 year in age (89.2%). Sixty-six percent of the cases were severe infections with the length of hospitalization being greater than that of patients normally admitted for mild ARI by other virus and showed a high mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
All the above events suggest that the genomic variants detected are highly pathogenic.
Baumeister
E
E
Servicio de Virus Respiratorios, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fernández Cobo
M
M
Pontoriero
A
A
Savy
V
V
D000260:Adenoviruses, Human / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D017677:Age Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000821:virology*; D017678:Sex Distribution
Caracterización de aislamientos de adenovirus asociados a infección respiratoria aguda baja en pediatría.