Outbreaks of Adenovirus-associated Respiratory Illness on 5 College Campuses in the United States, 2018–2019
- 23 April 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Clinical Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 72 (11), 1992-1999
- https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa465
Abstract
Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are commonly associated with acute respiratory illness. HAdV outbreaks are well documented in congregate military training settings, but less is known about outbreaks on college campuses. During fall 2018 and spring 2019, five U.S. colleges reported increases in HAdV-associated respiratory illness. Investigations were performed to better understand HAdV epidemiology in this setting. A case was a student at one of the five colleges with acute respiratory illness and laboratory-confirmed HAdV infection during October 2018–December 2018 or March–May 2019. Available respiratory specimens were typed by HAdV type-specific real-time PCR assays, and for a subset, whole genome sequencing was performed. We reviewed available medical records and cases were invited to complete a questionnaire, which included questions on symptom presentation, social history, and absenteeism. We identified 168 HAdV cases. Median age was 19 (range: 17–22) years and 102 cases (61%) were male. Eleven cases were hospitalized, 10 with pneumonia; two cases died. Among questionnaire respondents, 80% (75/94) missed ≥1 day of class because of their illness. Among those with a type identified (79%), HAdV types 4 and 7 were equally detected, with frequency of each varying by site. Genome types 4a1 and 7d were identified, respectively, by whole genome sequence analysis. HAdV respiratory illness was associated with substantial morbidity and missed class time among young, generally healthy adults on five U.S. college campuses. HAdVs should be considered a cause of respiratory illness outbreaks in congregate settings such as college campuses.Keywords
Funding Information
- CDC’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (6 NU50CK000375-05)
- National Institutes of Health
This publication has 41 references indexed in Scilit:
- European guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of adenovirus infection in leukemia and stem cell transplantation: summary of ECIL‐4 (2011)Transplant Infectious Disease, 2012
- Adenovirus-associated Deaths in US Military during Postvaccination Period, 1999–2010Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2012
- Severe community-acquired adenovirus pneumonia in an immunocompetent 44-year-old woman: a case report and review of the literatureJournal of Medical Case Reports, 2011
- How I treat adenovirus in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipientsBlood, 2010
- Research electronic data capture (REDCap)—A metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics supportJournal of Biomedical Informatics, 2008
- Emerging Infections: Adenovirus Infections in Transplant RecipientsClinical Infectious Diseases, 2006
- Vaccine-preventable adenoviral respiratory illness in US military recruits, 1999–2004☆Vaccine, 2006
- Cidofovir for adenovirus infections after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a survey by the Infectious Diseases Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow TransplantationBone Marrow Transplantation, 2003
- Large Epidemic of Respiratory Illness Due to Adenovirus Types 7 and 3 in Healthy Young AdultsClinical Infectious Diseases, 2002
- The degree of genetic variability among adenovirus type 4 strains isolated from man and chimpanzeeArchiv für die gesamte Virusforschung, 1988