Human adenovirus load in respiratory tract secretions are predictors for disease severity in children with human adenovirus pneumonia

Background Pneumonia is a serious public health issue and is concerned around the world. This study is to investigate the association between viral load in children with human adenovirus (HAdV) pneumonia and disease severity. Methods A total of 1313 cases of children hospitalized in Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital due to community acquired pneumonia (CAP) from April 2011 to May 2014 were enrolled in this study. Samples of nasopharyngeal aspirate were collected for the cohort. WHO criteria for CAP grading was emerged for pneumonia severity classification. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect 12 kinds of respiratory viruses. HAdV types were identified by nested PCR. The relationship between HAdV load and severity of disease was there by analyzed. Results Finally, 174 cases (174/1313, 13.3%) were positive for HAdV, and HAdV type 7 (HAdV-7) was the main serotype (76/174, 43.7%). Among the 174 cases, 70 cases were with HAdV infection alone and 104 cases were accompanied by other viruses. The patients were divided into mild pneumonia group ( n = 108 cases) and severe pneumonia group ( n = 66 cases). HAdV load of children in severe pneumonia group was higher than that in mild pneumonia group. Similar result was obtained in the 70 cases with HAdV infection alone after subgrouping. Relevant factors analysis results showed that severe pneumonia children presented lower onset age, more prone to fever, longer fever time, and longer hospital stay compared with that of mild pneumonia children. Children with HAdV-7 infection developed more frequently severe pneumonia. Multivariate regression analysis showed that HAdV load, age, and fever time were risk factors for pneumonia severity. Conclusion The severity of HAdV infection is significantly correlated with viral load and serotype.