Molecular Epidemiology of Adenoviruses among Respiratory Infected Patients

Abstract Background and Objective: Respiratory tract infections (RTI) are the most common infectious disorders, worldwide. About 80%-90% of RTI are caused by four viruses such as Adenoviruses, 51 serotypes have been introduced so far. The aim of this survey was to evaluate the frequency of Adenovirus in respiratory infected patients by PCR method in Golestan province, Iran. Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 patients with clinical diagnosis of flu-like respiratory infection, 2010-2012. In addition to collecting demographic and clinical data, nasopharyngeal swabs were taken and transferred to the virology laboratory in viral transport medium (VTM), and evaluated by PCR method for Adenovirus after genomic extraction. Using SPSS v.11 software, we analyzed the data. Results: Thirty-seven (9.2 %) were positive for Adenovirus. No significant correlation was found between being positive for Adenovirus and the variables such as age, gender and season. Clinical signs were coughing (27 73%), body pain (25 67.6%), and fever (24 64.9%). Thirty-five of the patients (94.5%) had at least one symptom. Conclusion: Our findings are consistent with other research conducted in Iran and other countries. There is a significant correlation between Adenovirus infection and clinical symptoms. Keywords: Respiratory Infection, Adenovirus, PCR, Golestan, Iran