Cytologic diagnosis of adenoviral epidemic keratoconjunctivitis by direct immunofluorescence

A direct immunofluorescence technique for the diagnosis of acute adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis and pharyngoconjunctivitis was found to be a reliable, sensitive, and specific technique for the detection of soluble adenoviral antigens in epithelial cells on conjunctival scrapings of patients with epidemic keratoconjunctivitis. Of 25 patients with clinical findings consistent with epidemic keratoconjunctivitis or pharyngoconjunctival fever, all had positive diagnostic scrapings by direct immunofluorescence.