Adenoviruses are pathogens that cause a wide variety of infections, most often the respiratory system, the digestive system and the eye. Less frequently, they may be the cause of the more serious ones, such as meningitis or myocarditis, and in rare cases, fatal multiorgan infections, to which infants are exposed. Find out what the symptoms of adenovirus infection are and how to treat them.

Adenoviruses( Adenoviridae ) are pathogens that cause a variety of infections, most commonly the respiratory tract, digestive tract, urinary tract and eyes. They are rarely the cause of meningitis, myocarditis or hepatitis. Thus, adenovirus infections are in second place, right after Herpesvirus infections, in terms of the frequency of viral infections (they account for as much as 13% of all infections of this type).

Adenoviruses - how do you get infected?

There are several routes of infection. The two main ones are:

  • airborne route - adenoviruses spread to another person when a person speaks, coughs or sneezes while expelling saliva droplets along with the virus;
  • fecal-oral - viruses spread through non-compliance with basic hygiene rules - especially if you do not wash your hands after using the toilet or before eating;

Adenoviruses most often attack children in the first year of life, although preschoolers are also vulnerable to infection.

This explains why in kindergartens and schools there is often a massive incidence of respiratory and digestive tract infections caused by adenoviruses.

There is also a risk of transmitting adenovirus through a handshake with an infected person or contact with objects and surfaces containing the virus. Contaminated water and contaminated food can also be a source of infection. In addition, adenoviruses can enter the body while using the swimming pool, sauna or by sharing the same towel.

Adenoviruses - symptoms of infection

If a respiratory infection develops, the most common symptoms are flu-like symptoms - enlarged lymph nodes, fever, cough, weakness.The patient may also struggle with a runny nose and pharyngitis. Much less often, adenoviruses cause bronchiolitis, croup or viral pneumonia.

If adenoviruses have infected the digestive system (most commonly gastroenteritis), diarrhea usually develops (may last up to 2 weeks), with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, headaches and fever.

Infection is most common in winter and spring or early summer.

In the case of urinary tract infections, there are problems with urinating as well as burning and pain when visiting the toilet. It may even develop into hematuria. The latter symptoms may indicate hemorrhagic cystitis.

Adenoviruses can also be responsible for eye infections (which run along with upper respiratory tract infection and fever) - most often conjunctivitis. It manifests itself, inter alia, in redness and irritation of the eye, excessive tearing and a foreign body sensation in the eye.

Symptoms of infection appear from a few to several days after adenoviruses enter the body. The adenovirus serotype determines what symptoms occur and how severe the course of the disease is. So far, more than 50 have been identified.

In older children and adults - due to the more efficient immune system than in young children - very often the infection is asymptomatic or mild.

Important

In rare cases, adenovirus infection can lead to hemorrhagic cystitis (mainly in children), meningitis and encephalitis (especially in people with a weak immune system), myocarditis, hepatitis, and even intussusception . In addition, in newborns, adenoviruses can cause fatal multi-organ infections.

Adenoviruses - diagnostics

The above-mentioned symptoms may be mistaken for a bacterial infection, therefore your doctor may order a respiratory discharge test, a stool sample or an eye discharge test.

The final diagnosis can be made faster by performing serological tests (eg ELISA test), which look for specific antibodies against adenoviruses in the patient's blood. Genetic methods (e.g. PCR test) that detect the viral genome can also be used.

Adenoviruses - treatment

In the case of adenovirus infection, symptomatic treatment is applied. For example, if a patient is struggling with a respiratory infection, bronchodilators or oxygen may be used. In the case of gastrointestinal infections, it should behydrate the sick person to replace fluid deficiency caused by diarrhea and vomiting.

Important

In the case of adenovirus infection, do not give the patient antibiotics, because they only work against bacteria - they do not fight viruses.

If a child under 12 is sick, do not give him aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), as Reye's syndrome may develop.

Adenoviruses - how to prevent infection?

The adenovirus vaccinehas not yet been developed, therefore, to prevent infection, you should first of all follow the rules of personal hygiene, and also care for the hygiene of the environment - ventilate the room frequently, use it for cleaning disinfectants.

Category:

Infectious diseases