Epidemiology of Human Adenoviruses: A 20-Year Retrospective Observational Study in Hospitalized Patients in Bern, Switzerland

Akello, Joyce Odeke; Kamgang, Richard; Barbani, Maria Teresa; Suter-Riniker, Franziska; Leib, Stephen L; Ramette, Alban

The yearly positive rate for HAdV ranged from 2.0% to 6.1%, with an average rate of 3. Figure 4B ). HAdV cases with ophthalmic infection (n = 36), respiratory tract infection (n = 36), and with unknown/ missing clinical information (n = 51), accounted for the majority of the genotyped samples ( Figure 4C ). Most cases presenting with ophthalmic infection (88.8%) and those with unknown/missing clinical information (74.5%) were identified to be infected with HAdV species D genotypes, particularly HAdV8. HAdV cases presenting with respiratory tract infection were associated with HAdV species C genotypes (HAdV1, HAdV2, and HAdV5), and HAdV species B genotype (HAdV3). Similarly, the former HAdV species C genotypes were also found in patients presenting with fever. Among patients presenting with gastrointestinal infection, HAdV2, HAdV3 and HAdV41 were identified. HAdV6 was identified in a case presenting with immune suppression. Among those who had more than one clinical presentation and comorbidity (ie, respiratory tract infection and gastrointestinal infection, respiratory tract infection and immune suppression, respiratory tract infection and co-infection), HAdV2 and HAdV3 were identified. We did not identify instances of co-infection with different genotypes of HAdV. The majority of HAdV genotypes were identified among those presenting with respiratory tract infections, fever, gastrointestinal infection, and missing clinical information ( Figure 5B ). HAdV2, HAdV5 and HAdV1 were identified in three dead young children (≤4 years old) in years 2006, 2012, and 2014, respectively. All three cases were associated with sudden infant death syndrome.