Adenovirus 14 Is The Next Deadly Killer Cold Virus

"This particular [adenovirus] is unusual in that it can cause very severe illness in healthy young adults with no other medical condition. That is why this adenovirus stands out from the crowd," Su tells WebMD.

Stanford University On Adenovirus

Adenoviruses are double-stranded DNA viruses. They have icosahedral capsids with twelve vertices and seven surface proteins. The virion is non-enveloped, spherical and about seventy to ninety nm in size. The genome encodes about thirty proteins. Both strands of adenovirus DNA encode genes. Transcription occurs in three stages -- immediate early, early and late.

Adenovirus-Associated Human Disease

Pharyngitis
Acute Respiratory Disease
Pneumonia
Pharyngoconjunctival Fever
Epidemic Keratoconjuntivitis
Genitourinary Infections (cervicitis, urethritis, hemorrhagic cystitis)
Gasteroenteritis
Some asymptomatic and persistent infection
Adenovirus oncogenically tranforms rodent cells but not human cells.

Transmission of Adenovirus

Ingestion/Fecal-Oral Route
Respiration (through respiratory droplets)
Contact/Hand-to-eye transfer
Venereal

Clinical Course and Diagnosis

Incubation Period: 5 to 8 days

Adenovirus usually causes a localized infection, but generalized infection can occur in immuno-compromised patients.

Some adenovirus subtypes cause cellular cytopathic effect -- rounded, swollen cells and basophilic intranuclear inclusions.

Adenovirus is responsible for five percent of acute respiratory childhood illness and ten percent of infantile gasteroenteritis.

Meningoencephalatis is a complication of respiratory adenovirus infection.

Deaths may occur from adenovirus especially from infection by human adenovirus type 7.

Diagnosis occurs through enzyme immunoassay, immunofluorescence techniques and virus isolation in cell cultures.

Treatment of Adenovirus and Therapy

Antivirals have generally been ineffective against adenovirus infection. Intravenous ribavirin is a potential treatment. Adenovirus infection results in long-lasting immunity against the specific serotype. Maternal antibody is protective.

Prevention of Adenovirus

* Chlorination of swimming pools, drinking water, wastewater
* High hygiene standards in opthamology practice
* Hand-washing
* Measures to prevent nosocomial transmission

The vaccine against adenovirus is live, oral and attenuated in the intestine. Mucosal and intestinal immunity result. Vaccines are administered to the military but not available for general use because of concern about the live vaccine's oncogenic potential and the level of attenuation achieved in children.

A Successful Vector for Vaccination and Gene Therapy

Adenoviruses have immense potential as vectors for vaccination and for gene therapy because adenoviruses can be genetically altered in vitro to:

(1) code for specific proteins

(2) not produce infectious, pathogenic viral offspring.

Vaccination against Adenovirus:

A DNA segment that codes for an antigen that stimulates an immune response in humans can be inserted into the genome of adenovirus and then inserted into a host. Hepatitis B, HIV, herpes simplex, rabies and respiratory synctial virus regions can be inserted into adenovirus DNA.

Gene Therapy:

A DNA segment that codes for an enzyme or protein product that corrects a human genetic defect can be delivered to the host by an adenovirus vector. For example, a normal copy of the defective gene in cystic fibrosis patients can be inserted into patients through an adenovirus vector.