As well as colds and sore throats, the viruses may cause pneumonia, meningitis, hepatitis and inflammation of the heart muscle, writes Dr MUIRIS HOUSTON
THE FIRST cases of infection with a new subtype of virus have been identified in the Republic by the National Virus Reference Laboratory and the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).
The report of the first nine cases of human adenovirus 14p1 infection (HAdV-14p1) here has been published in Eurosurveillance, the journal of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
They were identified in different locations in Ireland between October 2009 and July 2010.
Some five of those affected were aged less than a year; all of the patients were hospitalised, reflecting their age and the presence of other underlying diseases.
According to the authors of the report, “cases presented here were diagnosed on presentation to hospital and may represent the severe end of the spectrum of HAdV 14 disease in Ireland”.
Human adenoviruses are a common cause of infection in the community, often affecting the upper respiratory tract.
They are transmitted by respiratory droplets as part of coughing and sneezing and also by faecal-oral routes.
Adenoviruses rarely cause serious or fatal illness in healthy individuals but can be the source of serious infection in the newborn, older people and in immunocompromised patients including organ transplant recipients.
As well as colds and sore throats, the viruses may rarely cause pneumonia, meningitis, encephalitis (inflammation of brain cells), hepatitis and inflammation of the heart muscle.
Treatment of adenoviral infection is usually supportive and may involve the use of steroids and assisted ventilation.
Secondary infections are treated with antibiotics, while antiviral drugs have been used with some effect.
Among the nine Irish people reported on in this study, six required mechanical ventilation, while two infants required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
The authors point out that information on asymptomatic or mild cases of HAdV-14 disease is lacking.
However, it is understood just one further case of severe infection has been identified here since last July.