Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1995 Oct;33(10):2728–2731. doi: 10.1128/jcm.33.10.2728-2731.1995

Adenovirus types 2, 8, and 37 associated with genital infections in patients attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic.

P D Swenson 1, M S Lowens 1, C L Celum 1, J C Hierholzer 1
PMCID: PMC228564  PMID: 8567914

Abstract

Adenoviruses (Ads) are an important cause of respiratory illness, conjunctivitis, and gastroenteritis, but they are seldom recognized as a potential cause of sexually transmitted disease. We performed virus cultures on approximately 7,000 patients attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic or other health department clinics for the evaluation of genital ulcers, urethritis, or conjunctivitis. Ads were isolated from genital or conjunctival specimens obtained from 23 (0.33%) patients. Among the 20 Ad-positive men, 15 (75%) had urethritis, 12 (60%) had conjunctivitis, and 10 (50%) had both. All three Ad-positive women had vaginal discharge and genital ulcers or fissures. Ad isolates from 17 patients were available for serotyping. Ad type 37 was isolated from 14 patients, Ad type 8 was isolated from 2 patients, and Ad type 2 was isolated from 1 patient. In three of the Ad type 37 cases, Ad was recovered from both urethral and conjunctival specimens. One of the Ad type 8 cases had conjunctivitis, but the Ad type 2 case did not. Ads, particularly type 37, may be a sexually transmissible cause of genital ulcers, urethritis, and conjunctivitis.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (150.5 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abzug M. J., Levin M. J. Neonatal adenovirus infection: four patients and review of the literature. Pediatrics. 1991 Jun;87(6):890–896. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Harnett G. B., Newnham W. A. Isolation of adenovirus type 19 from the male and female genital tracts. Br J Vener Dis. 1981 Feb;57(1):55–57. doi: 10.1136/sti.57.1.55. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Harnett G. B., Phillips P. A., Gollow M. M. Association of genital adenovirus infection with urethritis in men. Med J Aust. 1984 Sep 15;141(6):337–338. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1984.tb132799.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hierholzer J. C. Adenoviruses in the immunocompromised host. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1992 Jul;5(3):262–274. doi: 10.1128/cmr.5.3.262. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hierholzer J. C. Further subgrouping of the human adenoviruses by differential hemagglutination. J Infect Dis. 1973 Oct;128(4):541–550. doi: 10.1093/infdis/128.4.541. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hierholzer J. C., Johansson K. H., Anderson L. J., Tsou C. J., Halonen P. E. Comparison of monoclonal time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay with monoclonal capture-biotinylated detector enzyme immunoassay for adenovirus antigen detection. J Clin Microbiol. 1987 Sep;25(9):1662–1667. doi: 10.1128/jcm.25.9.1662-1667.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hierholzer J. C., Stone Y. O., Broderson J. R. Antigenic relationships among the 47 human adenoviruses determined in reference horse antisera. Arch Virol. 1991;121(1-4):179–197. doi: 10.1007/BF01316753. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kemp M. C., Hierholzer J. C., Cabradilla C. P., Obijeski J. F. The changing etiology of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis: antigenic and restriction enzyme analyses of adenovirus types 19 and 37 isolated over a 10-year period. J Infect Dis. 1983 Jul;148(1):24–33. doi: 10.1093/infdis/148.1.24. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kinney J. S., Hierholzer J. C., Thibeault D. W. Neonatal pulmonary insufficiency caused by adenovirus infection successfully treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. J Pediatr. 1994 Jul;125(1):110–112. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(94)70135-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kulcsár G., Dömötöri J., Dán P., Keskeny S., Horváth J., Geck P., Nász I. Virological studies on gynaecological patients. Zentralbl Bakteriol Orig A. 1975 May;231(4):389–392. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Laverty C. R., Russell P., Black J., Kappagoda N., Booth N. Adenovirus infection of the cervix. Acta Cytol. 1977 Jan-Feb;21(1):114–117. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Phillips P. A., Harnett G. B., Gollow M. M. Adenovirus type 19 and a closely related new serotype in genital infection. Br J Vener Dis. 1982 Apr;58(2):131–132. doi: 10.1136/sti.58.2.131. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Schaap G. J., de Jong J. C., van Bijsterveld O. P., Beekhuis W. H. A new intermediate adenovirus type causing conjunctivitis. Arch Ophthalmol. 1979 Dec;97(12):2336–2338. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1979.01020020552010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Schmitz H., Wigand R., Heinrich W. Worldwide epidemiology of human adenovirus infections. Am J Epidemiol. 1983 Apr;117(4):455–466. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113563. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. TAI F. H., GRAYSTON J. T., JOHNSTON P. B., WOOLRIDGE R. L. Adenovirus infections in Chinese Army recruits on Taiwan. J Infect Dis. 1960 Sep-Oct;107:160–164. doi: 10.1093/infdis/107.2.160. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Towbin J. A., Griffin L. D., Martin A. B., Nelson S., Siu B., Ayres N. A., Demmler G., Moise K. J., Jr, Zhang Y. H. Intrauterine adenoviral myocarditis presenting as nonimmune hydrops fetalis: diagnosis by polymerase chain reaction. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1994 Feb;13(2):144–150. doi: 10.1097/00006454-199402000-00013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. de Jong J. C., Wigand R., Wadell G., Keller D., Muzerie C. J., Wermenbol A. G., Schaap G. J. Adenovirus 37: identification and characterization of a medically important new adenovirus type of subgroup D. J Med Virol. 1981;7(2):105–118. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890070204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES