Korean J Intern Med.
2021 Jan;36(1):205-213. 10.3904/kjim.2019.092.
Ongoing outbreak of human adenovirus-associated acute respiratory illness in the Republic of Korea military, 2013 to 2018
- Affiliations
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- 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
- 2Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 3Department of Preventive Medicine, Armed Forces Medical Command, Seongnam, Korea
- 4Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
- 5Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
- 6Department of Infectious Diseases, Research Center of Infectious and Environmental Diseases, Armed Forces Medical Research Institute, Daejeon, Korea
- 7Department of Infectious Diseases, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
- KMID: 2509780
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2019.092
Abstract
- Background/Aims
Human adenovirus type 55 (HAdV-55), an emerging epidemic strain, has caused several large outbreaks in the Korean military since 2014, and HAdV-associated acute respiratory illness (HAdV-ARI) has been continuously reported thereafter.
Methods
To evaluate the epidemiologic characteristics of HAdV-ARI in the Korean military, we analyzed respiratory virus polymerase chain reaction (RV-PCR) results, pneumonia surveillance results, and severe HAdV cases from all 14 Korean military hospitals from January 2013 to May 2018 and compared these data with nationwide RV surveillance data for the civilian population.
Results
A total of 14,630 RV-PCRs was performed at military hospitals. HAdV (45.4%) was the most frequently detected RV, followed by human rhinovirus (12.3%) and influenza virus (6.3%). The percentage of the military positive for HAdV was significantly greater than the percentage of civilians positive for HAdV throughout the study period, with a large outbreak occurring during the winter to spring of 2014 to 2015. The outbreak continued until the end of the study, and non-seasonal detections increased over time. The reported number of pneumonia patients also increased during the outbreak. Case fatality rate was 0.075% overall but 15.6% in patients with respiratory failure. The proportion of severe patients did not change significantly during the study period.
Conclusions
A large HAdV outbreak is currently ongoing in the Korean military, with a trend away from seasonality, and HAdV-55 is likely the predominant strain. Persistent efforts to control the outbreak, HAdV type-specific surveillance, and vaccine development are required.
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