Cidofovir Therapy for Adenovirus Pneumonia in an AIDS Patient on HAART: A Case Report

Introduction: Adenovirus infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised hosts. Adenovirus pneumonia is a rare and often fatal disease in patients with AIDS. Case Report: We report a case of a 28-year-old woman with advanced HIV/AIDS, who developed pneumonia four weeks after initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Despite empiric antibiotics, the patient developed worsening hypoxemia and progressive pneumonia on chest x-ray. Culture data from a bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was negative for bacteria, fungi, pneumocystis jirovecii, but was positive for adenovirus detected by PCR. After transfer to a tertiary care hospital intensive care unit, a repeat BAL confirmed the presence of adenovirus by immunohistochemical staining. Tissue samples sent for histopathology revealed “smudge cells”. Serum adenovirus viral load was 1.6 × 10 copies/mL. Intravenous cidofovir, 1 mg/kg/day, was initiated and scheduled three times a week. The patient exhibited remarkable improvement and was discharged to home in stable condition after four doses of cidofovir treatment. Discussion: Prior to our case, the few published accounts of HIV patients with adenovirus pneumonia treated with cidofovir have all resulted in death. Our case is distinct from these cases by the lack of concomitant pulmonary infection and the initiation of HAART prior to presentation. Conclusion: To our knowledge, we present the first case of adenovirus pneumonia in a patient with AIDS successfully treated with cidofovir. Our case suggests that limited and low dose cidofovir may be an efficacious approach to treat adenovirus pneumonia among HIV patients, especially those established on HAART.