ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: adenovirus causes a variety of diseases such as acute respiratory, gastrointestinal, and conjunctiva infections. In this study we aimed to compare the performance of conventional virus isolation on cell culture and rapid diagnostic methods by direct fluorescent assay [DFA] and enzyme immune assay [EIA] for diagnosis of adenoviral infections
Materials and methods: one hundred and twenty six patients were included in the present study from September 2008 till April 2010 at Mansoura University Children Hospital [MUCH] and Ophthalmic Center Mansoura University, they were 68 males and 58 females with a mean age of 27.8+/- [30.19 SD]months, 153 samples were collected from them. The patients were categorized into 3 groups Group I: twenty four patients with acute conjunctivitis, group 2: sixty four patients with upper respiratory tract infection [URTJ] and group 3: sixty five patients with acute diarrhea and 25 healthy controls. Conjunctiva/ and throat swabs were subjected to study by culture on the HEp-2 cell line and DF A, while stool specimens were subjected to study by culture on the HEp-2 and EIA
Results: adenovirus was detected by cell culture in 8/24 [33.3%], 8/64 [12.5%] and 3165 [4.6%] from conjunctiva/ swabs, throat swabs and stool specimens respectively. By DFA, adenovirus was detected in 7/24 [29.2%] and 7/64 [10.9%] from conjunctiva! Swabs and throat swabs. Regarding EIA adenovirus was identified in patient with acute diarrhea in 3165 [4.6%] of cases and 1125 [4%] of control. The overall sensitivity [SENS], specificity [SPEC], accuracy [ACC], positive predictive value [PPV] and negative predictive value [NPV] of DFA in conjunctivitis were 75%, 94% 88%, 86% and 88%, and in patients with URT/ were 50%, 95%, 89%, 57% and 93%, respectively . On comparing EIA with culture in patient with acute diarrhea, SENS, SPEC, ACC, PPV and NPV we,-e I 00%, 98%, 98%, 75% and 100%
Conclusion: from the present study cell culture was the gold standard for diagnosis of adenovirus and detect active replicating viruses but it is costly and time consuming requires viable organism. DF A and E1A are rapid, easy to perform sensitive and accurate methods for adenovirus diagnosis