Adenovirus (adenovirus) - what is it? How to treat adenovirus?

There are many infections that can cause various diseases in humans. Among them, a special place is occupied by adenovirus. What kind of microorganism is it, what organs does it strike, how to fight it? Many have heard of such a pathogen.

Adenovirus - what kind of microorganism is it?

This infection belongs to the family of adenoviruses, the genus Mastadenoviruses. At present, there are about forty serotypes. Each of these viruses contains a DNA molecule, which is considered a distinctive feature from other respiratory representatives.

It is established that the adenovirus is a microorganism of spherical shape, whose diameter is 70-90 nm. It has a simple organization.

For the first time the pathogens were isolated from tonsils and adenoids of a sick child in 1953. Subsequently, with microscopy of smears in patients with acute respiratory viral infection, adenovirus was also found. What is this mysterious infection? But it is also found in patients who have signs of atypical pneumonia with the development of conjunctivitis.

How is it transmitted?

To infect a virus pathogen can be airborne and fecal-oral route, through sick person's objects, food, water in open reservoirs or in swimming pools. Adenovirus is an infection that is tolerated by a person with already existing symptoms, as well as a virus carrier that does not have any signs of disease.

The infection is resistant to changes in the environment, does not die in air and water, and persists for a long time on medicines used for treatment in ophthalmology.

The place of introduction of the virus is the mucous membranes of the respiratory and digestive systems, the conjunctiva of the eye. Penetrating into epithelial cells and lymph nodes, it begins to multiply. The cytopathic effect and the formation of intranuclear inclusions develop. Affected cells are destroyed and die, and the virus migrates farther along the bloodstream, infecting other organs.

Among some adenoviral serotypes, there are oncogenic representatives that cause the formation of malignant tumors in animals.

As a result of adenoviral infection, epithelial tissue performs a lesser barrier function, which reduces immunobiological reactions in the body and can cause concomitant development of bacterial damage. Does not have a pathogenic effect on animals.

Protection against re-infection

Usually, patients who have had an adenoviral infection develop persistent immunity, but only to a certain serotype of adenovirus. What does it mean? It turns out that with subsequent contacts with a specific virus, a person will not get sick.

At birth, the child acquires passive immunity, which disappears after six months.

Types of Adenovirus Disease

There are both occasional and epidemic manifestations of adenoviruses, most often in children's collective. Infection is characterized by a variety of manifestations, since the virus affects the respiratory system, the mucous membranes of the eye, intestines, bladder.

Adenoviruses have different effects on humans. Classification of diseases includes:

• Acute respiratory viral infection in combination with fever (usually develops in childhood);
• Acute respiratory viral infection in the adult state;
• Viral pneumonia;
• Acute adenoviral angina (especially common in children in the summer after water procedures);
• Pharyngoconjunctival fever;
• Conjunctivitis membranous;
• Mezadenite;
• Acute follicular conjunctivitis;
• Adult epidemic keratoconjunctivitis;
• Intestinal infection (enteritis, viral diarrhea, gastroenteritis).

The duration of the incubation period is from three to nine days.

Prevalence of diseases

Among all registered infections of the respiratory system, the share of adenoviral damage falls from 2 to 5%. The most vulnerable to it are newborns and children.

From 5 to 10% of diseases of the viral nature is accounted for by adenovirus. What does this prove? First of all, these facts indicate its wide spread, especially in childhood (up to 75%). Of these, up to 40% occurs in children under 5 years of age, and the remaining interest extends to an age of 5 to 14 years.

Adenovirus disease of respiratory type

The disease begins with an increase in body temperature to 39 ° C, a headache and a general malaise. On adolescents, adenovirus acts differently, the symptoms in children manifest gradually, they are characterized by lethargy, lack of appetite, subfebrile body temperature.

The febrile condition lasts up to ten days. The body temperature can then drop, then rise again, at this time new symptoms are fixed.

Since the first days of the disease, nasal congestion has been observed. The next day, there are abundant mucous or mucopurulent discharge, accompanied by a dry frequent cough.

The throat starts to hurt because of the reddening of the mucous membrane of the throat, the arches and tonsils, the latter increase in size.

Signs of inflammation of the respiratory tract

This form is considered the most common, it is characterized by inflammatory processes in the airways. The main diseases include laryngitis, rhinopharyngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis with moderate general intoxication.

Signs of pharyngoconjunctival fever

Adenovirus has an adverse effect on the pharynx. Symptoms are caused by an increase in the temperature response for two weeks and signs of pharyngitis. Usually there are pains in the throat and rare urges to cough, then the infection does not go along the respiratory tract.

Symptoms of film conjunctivitis

Most often, adults and children are ill during adolescence. The disease is caused by unilateral or bilateral development of conjunctivitis with the formation of a film on the mucous membrane of the lower eyelid. There is also a marked edema and redness of the tissues surrounding the eye, pain sensations, widening of the vascular bed in the conjunctiva and fever. With this disease, the respiratory system is not affected by adenovirus infection.

Signs of tonsillopharyngitis

The disease develops in childhood preschool age. A characteristic feature of tonsillopharyngitis is the inflammatory changes in the tissue that form the yawn and palatine tonsils. Adenovirus, photo of which is given below, is the cause of sore throat.

Varieties of intestinal form

The manifestation of adenovirus infection in the intestine is associated with the development of moderate viral diarrhea and gastroenteritis. The virus causes nausea, vomiting, a loose stool that does not have an impurity, a slight increase in body temperature. In addition to intestinal disorders, the respiratory system can be infected, for example, rhinopharyngitis or laryngotracheitis.

Mezadenite

Another form of disease, in which there are abdominal pain and fever. It is possible that bacterial infection is associated with it, which requires antimicrobial therapy.

How to identify the pathogen

There are special methods by which adenoviruses are determined. Microbiology uses as a test material feces, secretions from the nasal passages, throat, conjunctiva of the eye. To establish the causative agent used inoculation, which is carried out in the culture of human epithelial cells.

In laboratory diagnostics using immunofluorescence microscopy, antigens to adenoviruses are detected. Microbiology in its arsenal has a number of techniques to determine the infection. They include methods:

• RSK is the serodiagnosis of viral infections due to the reaction to complement-binding antibodies IgG and IgM.
• RTGA - is considered a braking reaction of the hemagglutination process for Identification of viruses or antibodies in the blood plasma of a sick person. The method works by suppressing viral antigens with antibodies from the immune serum, after which the ability of the viruses to agglutinate the erythrocyte cells is lost.
• The pH-based method is based on the reduction of the cytopathogenic effect as a result of the connection of the virus and the specific AT.

Detecting the viral antigen can be done with the help of express diagnostics. Usually it includes such studies:

• An enzyme immunoassay, or ELISA, a laboratory method for the immunological determination of the qualitative or quantitative characteristics of viruses, based on a specific reaction between the antigen and the antibody;
• Immunofluorescence reaction, or RIF, which allows detection of antibodies to adenovirus infection (this method uses microscopy of smears stained with a dye);
• Radioimmunoassay, or RIA makes it possible to measure any concentration of viruses in a liquid.

How to deal with infection

Once an accurate diagnosis is made, the doctor and patient are faced with the question of how to treat the adenovirus. It is believed that there are no specific drugs at this time.

Depending on the degree of the disease, therapy can be performed at home according to the recommendations of a doctor or in a hospital. Do not require hospitalization of mild and moderate forms of infection that occur without complications. Severe cases or complications should be treated in a hospital under the supervision of a physician.

To overcome the adenovirus, the treatment of mild forms is reduced to a bed rest. At a body temperature above 38 ° C, paracetamol is administered at a dose of 0.2 to 0.4 g, 2 or 3 times a day, which corresponds to 10 or 15 mg per kg of body weight per day. Adenovirus infection does not take acetylsalicylic acid.

Depending on the form of the disease, symptomatic treatment with antitussive, expectorant drugs, treatment with "Stoptussin", "Glaucin", "Glauventom", "Mukaltin" is possible.

In the form of inhalations, an aerosol of deoxyribonuclease is used. It is used 2 or 3 times a day for 15 minutes. In rhinitis, the nose is dripped with special drops.

To raise the immune system, vitamin complexes with the obligatory content of ascorbic acid, tocopherol, rutin, thiamine and riboflavin are used.

If the adenovirus is affected by eyes, the treatment is carried out with droplets of deoxyribonuclease enzyme in the form of 0.1- or 0.2% solution every 3 hours for 3 drops. The doctor can prescribe a local treatment for conjunctivitis with glucocorticoid ointments, interferon preparations, antiviral ophthalmic ointments with oxolin or tebrofen.

Protection measures against infection

In order to prevent adenovirus infection and reduce the incidence of acute respiratory viral infection, vaccination with live vaccines consisting of weakened viral cells of the predominant serotype is used.

Usually, such drugs with the type of adenovirus 7 or 4 are used. To protect them from intestinal digestion, they are covered with a special capsule.

There are other vaccines in live and inactivated forms, but they are practically not used due to oncogenic activity of adenoviruses.