Search Results (5)

Bats are natural hosts of a wide variety of viruses, including adenoviruses. European bats are known to carry mastadenoviruses categorized as species B (widespread in European Vespertilionidae bats) and whose taxonomy has not been clarified. We examined fecal samples from Vespertilionidae bats (five species) captured in central Russia and found that 2/12 (16%) were positive for mastadenoviruses. The partial genome of the mastadenovirus was assembled from Pipistrellus nathusii, representing the bat adenovirus species B. The complete genome (37,915 nt) of a novel mastadenovirus was assembled from Nyctalus noctula and named BatAdV/MOW15-Nn19/Quixote. Comparative studies showed significant divergence of the Quixote genome sequence from European bat mastadenoviruses, while the only known virus showing low similarity was the isolate WA3301 from an Australian bat, and together they formed a subclade that separated from other BatAdVs. Phylogenetic and comparative analysis of the protein-coding genes provided evidence that Quixote is related to a novel species within the genus Mastadenovirus, provisionally named “K” (as the next available letter for the species). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that some earlier viruses from Western European bats, for which only partial DNA polymerase genes are known, are most likely members of the tentatively named species “K”. Thus, at least two species of mastadenovirus are circulating in bats throughout Europe, from western to eastern areas. Full article

Human mastadenoviruses, frequently denominated adenoviruses (HAdVs), may cause respiratory tract, gastrointestinal or, less frequently, other involvements. Epidemics of HAdV infections occur globally, in communities, and in closed or crowded settings. In our institution, a cluster of infants and children admitted for HAdV infection was recently observed. The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of their presenting features and investigate the possible correlation between the HAdV copy number and the clinical picture. Two main patterns of clinical presentation were observed: 68 patients had mainly respiratory symptoms (pharyngitis n = 67, cough n = 44; tonsillar exudate n = 17; other respiratory signs n = 4) while 26 patients showed prevalent gastrointestinal involvement (diarrhea n = 26, vomiting n = 8). Patients with respiratory symptoms had a significantly higher count of WBC, PMN, and platelets, while CRP level approached statistical significance (p = 0.07) for higher values in the patients with diarrhea. In order to explore the impact of selected presenting features, the possible association between the level of CRP and the presence of pharyngeal exudate, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, duration of fever, number of neutrophils, and administration of antibiotics was analyzed. Patients falling in the tertile with more elevated CRP values had tonsillar exudate and diarrhea significantly more often, while those in the lower tertile had a 4.4-day duration fever vs. ≥5.0 days in the remaining patients. Antibiotic therapy was administered more frequently to patients with higher values of CRP (p = 0.006). The duration of hospitalization was not associated with the CRP level. The median time from the receipt of a positive HAdV PCR test result to patient discharge was 1 day in 73% of cases. The number of copies of HAdV detected via PCR ranged between 47 million and 15/μL. Falling in the highest tertile of copy number was significantly associated with pharyngitis. The 24 patients with evidence of viral coinfection had no difference in the demographics or presenting features, with the only exception being a significantly higher leukocyte count. The rapid turn-around of the results of the molecular testing of the HAdV genome on a pharyngeal swab allowed us to rapidly diagnose HAdV infection, allowing us to stop antibiotic therapy and immediately discharge the patients, with reduced discomfort for the families and more appropriate use of hospital beds. A high copy number of HAdV from a pharyngeal swab should not be taken as an indicator of worse prognosis, thus allowing for the preferential use of qualitative rather than quantitative assay. Full article

This study determines and compares the frequency of human mastadenovirus (HAdV) presence in children with acute bronchiolitis (AB), acute gastroenteritis (AGE), and febrile seizures (FS), ascertains types of HAdVs associated with each individual syndrome and contrasts the findings with a control group of children. The presence of HAdVs was ascertained in simultaneously collected nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs and stool samples amplifying the hexon gene by RT-PCR; these were sequenced to determine the types of HAdVs. HAdVs were grouped into eight different genotypes. Of these, three (F40, F41, and A31) were found solely in stool samples, whereas the others (B3, C1, C2, C5, and C6) were found in both stool samples and NP swabs. The most common genotypes in NP swabs were C2 (found in children with AGE and FS) and C1 (only in children with FS), whereas in stool samples genotypes F41 (in children with AGE) and C2 (in children with AGE and FS) prevailed, and C2 was simultaneously present in both samples. HAdVs were more often detected in stool samples than in NP swabs in patients (with the highest estimated viral load in stool samples in children with AB and AGE) and healthy controls and were more common in NP swabs in children with AGE than in children with AB. In most patients, the characterized genotypes in NP swabs and stool samples were in concordance. Full article

Using a broad-range nested PCR assay targeting the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase (pol) gene, we detected adenoviruses in 17 (20.48%) out of 83 fecal samples from small Indian mongooses (Urva auropunctata) on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. All 17 PCR amplicons were sequenced for the partial pol gene (~300 bp, hereafter referred to as Mon sequences). Fourteen of the 17 Mon sequences shared maximum homology (98.3–99.6% and 97–98.9% nucleotide (nt) and deduced amino acid (aa) sequence identities, respectively) with that of bovine adenovirus-6 (species Bovine atadenovirus E). Mongoose-associated adenovirus Mon-39 was most closely related (absolute nt and deduced aa identities) to an atadenovirus from a tropical screech owl. Mon-66 shared maximum nt and deduced aa identities of 69% and 71.4% with those of atadenoviruses from a spur-thighed tortoise and a brown anole lizard, respectively. Phylogenetically, Mon-39 and Mon-66 clustered within clades that were predominated by atadenoviruses from reptiles, indicating a reptilian origin of these viruses. Only a single mongoose-associated adenovirus, Mon-34, was related to the genus Mastadenovirus. However, phylogenetically, Mon-34 formed an isolated branch, distinct from other mastadenoviruses. Since the fecal samples were collected from apparently healthy mongooses, we could not determine whether the mongoose-associated adenoviruses infected the host. On the other hand, the phylogenetic clustering patterns of the mongoose-associated atadenoviruses pointed more towards a dietary origin of these viruses. Although the present study was based on partial pol sequences (~90 aa), sequence identities and phylogenetic analysis suggested that Mon-34, Mon-39, and Mon-66 might represent novel adenoviruses. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the detection and molecular characterization of adenoviruses from the mongoose. Full article

Bats are important reservoirs for emerging zoonotic viruses. For extensive surveys of potential pathogens in straw-colored fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) in Zambia, a total of 107 spleen samples of E. helvum in 2006 were inoculated onto Vero E6 cells. The cell culture inoculated with one of the samples (ZFB06-106) exhibited remarkable cytopathic changes. Based on the ultrastructural property in negative staining and cross-reactivity in immunofluorescence assays, the virus was suspected to be an adenovirus, and tentatively named E. helvum adenovirus 06-106 (EhAdV 06-106). Analysis of the full-length genome of 30,134 bp, determined by next-generation sequencing, showed the presence of 28 open reading frames. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that EhAdV 06-106 represented a novel bat adenovirus species in the genus Mastadenovirus. The virus shared similar characteristics of low G + C contents with recently isolated members of species Bat mastadenoviruses E, F and G, from which EhAdV 06-106 diverged by more than 15% based on the distance matrix analysis of DNA polymerase amino acid sequences. According to the taxonomic criteria, we propose the tentative new species name “Bat mastadenovirus H”. Because EhAdV 06-106 exhibited a wide in vitro cell tropism, the virus might have a potential risk as an emerging virus through cross-species transmission. Full article