A swimming pool-associated outbreak of pharyngoconjunctival fever caused by human adenovirus type 4 in Beijing, China. (October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Jie; Lu, Xiaoyan; Sun, Yamin; Lin, Changying; Li, Feng; Yang, Yang; Liang, Zhichao; Jia, Lei; Chen, Lijuan; Jiang, Baoming; Wang, Quanyi
• Is Part Of: International journal of infectious diseases. Volume 75(2018)
• Page Start: 89
• Page End: 91
• Publication Date: 2018-10
• Subjects: Pharyngoconjunctival fever -- Human adenovirus -- Outbreak; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Communicable Diseases -- Periodicals; Communicable diseases; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2018.08.009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1201-9712

Abstract

Highlights: An outbreak of pharyngoconjunctival fever occurred at a university in Beijing. Most patients had used the same swimming pool 2 weeks before the onset of symptoms. Human adenovirus type 4 was identified in patient specimens and swimming pool water samples. A high occupant load in the pool could have negatively influenced water quality. Monitoring the number of visitors and the residual chlorine concentrations is important. Abstract: Patients with swimming pool-acquired human adenovirus (HAdV) infections usually manifest characteristic clinical features that include fever, pharyngitis, and conjunctival inflammation, syndromically referred to as pharyngoconjunctival fever (PCF). HAdV types 3, 4, and 7 are most commonly associated with PCF. This article reports an outbreak of PCF that involved 55 students and staff at a university in Beijing, China. Fifty patients had used the same swimming pool 2 weeks before the onset of symptoms. HAdV type 4 was identified from patient eye and throat swabs and concentrated swimming pool water samples. Partial hexon gene sequences obtained from the water samples were 100% identical to the sequences obtained from the swab samples, which clustered with HAdV-4 within species E. Swimming pool water contaminated with HAdV-4 was the most likely source of infection, although one instance of likely person-to-person transmission was noted.