[An adenovirus epidemic in patients with kidney transplantation]

During weekly routine virological screening of kidney transplant patients 12 out of 15 patients within a period of four months were found to be infected with adenovirus. All isolates were of the same serotype, type AdII + 35/HII. However, DNA restriction enzyme analyses showed the presence of two different DNA variants which were associated with three different epidemiological episodes. The epidemic probably started with reactivation of latent virus in a limited number of patients, after which it spread nosocomially. None of the patients showed signs or symptoms clearly attributable to adenoviruses, although adenovirus could not be excluded as a cofactor in the fatal outcome of hepatitis in one of the patients. Adenovirus apparently can easily spread nosocomially. Since literature data suggest that adenovirus infections of transplant patients may result in serious complications, adenovirus should not be neglected in virological screening protocols for kidney transplant patients.