Subject(s)
Adenovirus Infections, Human/physiopathology , Adenovirus Infections, Human/virology , Adenoviruses, Human/pathogenicity , Seasons , Adenovirus Infections, Human/epidemiology , Adenoviruses, Human/classification , Adenoviruses, Human/genetics , Adolescent , Age Factors , Child , Child, Preschool , Diagnosis, Differential , Diarrhea/virology , Female , Fever/virology , Humans , Infant , Male , Respiratory Tract Infections/virology , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
An unknown virus was isolated from a lung biopsy sample and multiple other samples from a patient who developed a lethal case of pneumonia following a peripheral blood stem cell transplant. A random PCR-based molecular screening method was used to identify the infectious agent as avian paramyxovirus 1 (APMV-1; a group encompassing Newcastle disease virus), which is a highly contagious poultry pathogen that has only rarely been found in human infections. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the presence of APMV-1 antigen in sloughed alveolar cells in lung tissue from autopsy. Sequence from the human isolate showed that it was most closely related to virulent pigeon strains of APMV-1. This is the most completely documented case of a systemic human infection caused by APMV-1 and is the first report of an association between this virus and a fatal disease in a human.
Subject(s)
Newcastle Disease/diagnosis , Newcastle Disease/virology , Newcastle disease virus/isolation & purification , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis , Pneumonia, Viral/virology , Adult , Animals , Antigens, Viral/analysis , Birds , Fatal Outcome , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Male , Molecular Sequence Data , Newcastle Disease/pathology , Newcastle disease virus/genetics , Pneumonia, Viral/pathology , Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effectsABSTRACT
A laboratory-confirmed, inadvertent transmission of vaccinia virus from an unusual source highlights the importance of epidemiologic tracing, proper biosafety practices in the clinical diagnostic laboratories, and educating clinicians and laboratorians to potential bioterrorism-initiated outbreaks as well as look-alike disease discrimination.
