infectious diseases
Adenovirus Infections
Symptoms and Signs of Adenovirus Infections
In immunocompetent hosts, most adenovirus infections are asymptomatic. When infections are symptomatic, a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations is possible because most adenoviruses that cause mild disease have affinity for a variety of tissues. Most symptomatic infections occur in children and cause fever and upper respiratory symptoms, including pharyngitis, otitis media, cough, and exudative tonsillitis with cervical adenopathy that can be difficult to distinguish from group A Streptococcal pharyngitis . Adenovirus types 3 and 7 cause a distinct syndrome of conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, and fever (pharyngoconjunctival fever). Rare adenoviral syndromes in infants include severe Bronchiolitis and Case clusters of severe respiratory disease, caused by specific adenoviruses (particularly types 7, 14, and 55), have occurred in healthy adults. Adenoviral infections are being increasingly recognized as causes of severe respiratory and other clinical disease in immunocompromised adults. Etiology is sometimes severe and occurs sporadically and in epidemics. Conjunctivitis is frequently bilateral. Preauricular adenopathy may develop. Chemosis, pain, and punctate corneal lesions that are visible with Nonrespiratory adenoviral syndromes include hemorrhagic cystitis, diarrhea in infants, and meningoencephalitis. Most patients recover fully. Even severe primary adenoviral pneumonia is not fatal except for rare fulminant cases, predominantly in infants, military recruits, and immunocompromised patients. 