Ahmad Shahzad, Malik Arshad, Ullah Ihsan, Badar Nazish, Khan Ishaq N, Atlas Amir, Muhammad Anees, Khan Muhammad Uzair
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar.
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, International Islamic, University, Islamabad.
J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2023 Feb-Mar;35(1):37-42. doi: 10.55519/JAMC-01-10518.
Human Adenovirus (HAdV) is one of the most common causes of infection in children. HAdV commonly affects respiratory system, however can also involve other parts of the body like nervous system, eyes and urinary tract. The virus usually causes a mild infection of the lower and upper respiratory tract. Objective of the study was to find the prevalence of HAdV in paediatric patients presenting with Influenza like symptoms and severe acute respiratory illness across Pakistan.
This cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad. Respiratory swabs were collected from 389 children with age less than five years from 14 hospitals in different regions of Pakistan from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018. Patients' demographics, signs and symptoms were recorded through a predesigned proforma while Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed for respiratory samples.
Out of all 389 samples, HAdV was found in 25 (6.4%) cases. The proportion of HAdV obtained was greater in females 18 (4.6%) than male 7 (1.8%). The influenza-like illness in children attending outpatient department had a higher prevalence of HAdV 13 (3.3%) compared to admitted children 12 (3.1%). Similarly, patients from one to 6 months of age had higher positive outcome than older children. Majority of positive patients were from Islamabad (2.0%) followed by Gilgit (1.8%), Azad Jammu Kashmir (1.0%), Multan (0.5%), and Karachi (0.5%). The most frequent signs and symptoms were cough, fever, sore throat, nasal congestion and shortness of breath.
The present study concludes that HAdV infection is common in Pakistan especially in female patients aged 1-6 months. It's crucial to improve the diagnosis of HAdV infections in our country to prevent complications associated with the virus. Furthermore, genetic analysis may help find different genotypes of HAdV circulating in Pakistan.
人腺病毒（HAdV）是儿童感染最常见的病因之一。HAdV通常影响呼吸系统，但也可累及身体其他部位，如神经系统、眼睛和泌尿系统。该病毒通常引起上下呼吸道的轻度感染。本研究的目的是在巴基斯坦出现流感样症状和严重急性呼吸道疾病的儿科患者中，找出HAdV的流行情况。
本横断面研究在伊斯兰堡的国立卫生研究所进行。2017年10月1日至2018年9月30日期间，从巴基斯坦不同地区14家医院的389名5岁以下儿童中采集呼吸道拭子。通过预先设计的表格记录患者的人口统计学信息、体征和症状，同时对呼吸道样本进行实时聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测。
在所有389个样本中，25例（6.4%）检测出HAdV。女性中检测出HAdV的比例为18例（4.6%），高于男性的7例（1.8%）。门诊就诊儿童的流感样疾病中HAdV的患病率为13例（3.3%），高于住院儿童的12例（3.1%）。同样，1至6个月大的患者阳性结果高于年龄较大的儿童。大多数阳性患者来自伊斯兰堡（2.0%），其次是吉尔吉特（1.8%）、查谟和克什米尔自由邦（1.0%）、木尔坦（0.5%）和卡拉奇（0.5%）。最常见的体征和症状是咳嗽、发热、喉咙痛、鼻塞和呼吸急促。
本研究得出结论，HAdV感染在巴基斯坦很常见，尤其是在1至6个月大的女性患者中。改善我国HAdV感染的诊断对于预防与该病毒相关的并发症至关重要。此外，基因分析可能有助于发现巴基斯坦流行的不同HAdV基因型。
