Background: Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) are a major threat in children all
around the world. Adenovirus is one of the most important pathogens causing
respiratory tract infections in children. Adenovirus (AdV) respiratory tract infections is
caused mainly by species B, C and E. Accurate and rapid identification of AdV
respiratory tract infection is important to avoid unnecessary antibiotic prescription and
prevents AdV-related outbreaks. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the most
prevalent species of adenovirus causing ARTI in pediatric patients hospitalized at Benha
University Hospital which were diagnosed by tissue culture and direct
immunofluorescence (DIF) test and compare them with polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) as a gold standard method. Methodology: This study was conducted on 60
pediatric patients suffering from ARTI admitted to Benha University Hospitals.
Adenovirus was detected by DIF test and isolated by tissue culture. Molecular
identification of species- specific adenovirus was done by PCR. Results: Out of 60 cases,
35% were Adenovirus positive by PCR. AdV-B was the most prevalent identified species
(76.2%) followed by AdV-C (19.0%) and AdV-E (4.8%). The sensitivity and the
specificity of tissue culture and DIF test were 90.5%, 100%, 61.9%, 97.4%, respectively.
Conclusion: AdV was encountered in one-third of admitted pediatric Egyptian patients
with ARTI in Benha University Hospital. PCR was useful for rapid diagnosis of
adenovirus infections with higher sensitivity than other method |
