Molecular characterization of hospital-acquired adenovirus infantile respiratory infection in Chile using species-specific PCR assays.
BACKGROUND
Adenovirus serotypes 7, 2 and 1 are the second most common cause of viral acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) requiring hospitalization in Chile. Nosocomial outbreaks have high secondary attack and lethality rates, and call for rapid and specific diagnosis.


OBJECTIVE
We compared the results obtained on ALRI specimens by immunofluorescence (IFA) and virus isolation, plus restriction enzyme digestion (RFLP) typing, with universal, species-specific and 7h-specific PCR typing of adenovirus. A second objective was to determine the type of adenovirus implicated in nosocomial infection and nosocomial cross-infection rates.


METHODS
Infants hospitalized for ALRI in the Roberto del Río Children's Hospital (Santiago, Chile) in 1995-1996 had nasopharyngeal aspirates obtained at admission and tested by IFA and virus isolation. Adenovirus isolates were identified by RFLP. When an index case was identified, samples were collected from contacts for 2 consecutive days and twice weekly thereafter for 2 weeks. Further typing of adenovirus isolates was undertaken with universal, species-specific and 7h-specific PCR performed in 2003 on the stored frozen samples.


RESULTS
Fifteen index cases of adenovirus and their 65 contacts were identified. The nosocomial secondary attack rate using PCR was estimated as 46%. PCR had a higher sensitivity (98.7%) compared to virus isolation (90%) and IFA (50%) and facilitated identification of adenovirus strains more easily and accurately than RFLP (91.6% versus 55.8%). Fifty-three percent of the contacts had severe outcomes. The case fatality rate was 16.6% and was associated with adenovirus 7h.


CONCLUSIONS
Prompt, rapid and sensitive methods to identify adenovirus infection are necessary, especially for hospital-acquired adenovirus infections, because of their ease of spread and high fatality rate.
Larrañaga
Carmen
C
Programa de Virología, ICBM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Independencia 1027, Santiago de Chile, Chile. clarrana@med.uchile.cl
Martínez H
Jorge
J
Palomino M
Angélica
A
Peña C
Mónica
M
Carrión A
Flavio
F
Avendaño C
Luís Fidel
LF
D000258:Adenovirus Infections, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D000260:Adenoviruses, Human / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D016358:Contact Tracing; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013045:Species Specificity; D014776:Virus Cultivation
D004279:DNA, Viral