Is adenovirus highly contagious?

In daily life, adenovirus is a relatively common infectious disease with a strong infectious ability. It is generally more common in children. Since children's bodies are relatively delicate, they are easily infected with adenovirus. Generally, the presence of adenovirus can easily cause children's respiratory tract to cough or fever, etc., and they need to seek medical treatment in time.

Is adenovirus highly contagious?

Adenovirus has a strong infectious ability and needs to be treated promptly.

Inducing disease

Adenovirus can infect the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, urethra and bladder, eyes, liver, etc. About one-third of the known serotypes of human adenovirus are usually associated with human diseases, but one serotype can cause different clinical diseases; conversely, different serotypes can also cause the same disease.

Respiratory tract infections

Typical symptoms of respiratory tract infection are cough, nasal congestion and pharyngitis, accompanied by fever, chills, headache and muscle pain, including the following 4 different syndromes.

1. Acute febrile pharyngitis usually occurs in infants and children. It is caused by group C viruses and presents with symptoms such as cough, nasal congestion, fever and throat ulcers. These manifestations are difficult to distinguish from mild respiratory infections caused by other viruses.

2. Pharyngoconjunctival fever. The symptoms are similar to those of acute febrile pharyngitis, but conjunctivitis often occurs at the same time. Pharyngococcygeal fever has a tendency to break out and spread, such as swimming pool conjunctivitis, which is mostly caused by group B adenovirus types 3 and 7. The recovery is good and there are generally no sequelae.

3. Acute respiratory disease. This syndrome is characterized by pharyngitis, fever, cough and general discomfort. It is often prevalent among new recruits in the army and is mostly caused by sudden tension, fatigue, gathering, etc. This infection is mostly caused by adenovirus types 4 and 7, but can also be seen in type 3.

4. Pneumonia Adenovirus pneumonia accounts for about 10% of childhood pneumonia, mostly caused by adenovirus types 3 and 7; the mortality rate of adenovirus pneumonia in young people is 8% to 10%; pneumonia is also a serious manifestation of acute respiratory disease in recruits.

Eye infection

Adenovirus-induced mild eye infections are complications of respiratory tract infections and pharyngitis. Follicular conjunctivitis can be caused by many types of adenovirus and is similar to chlamydial conjunctivitis and is self-limited. Keratoconjunctivitis caused by adenovirus types 8, 9, and 37 is a severe infection that is highly contagious, beginning with acute conjunctivitis that spreads to the preauricular lymph nodes, followed by keratitis.

Gastroenteritis

Many adenoviruses replicate in intestinal cells and are excreted in the feces, but most serotypes are not associated with gastrointestinal disease. Adenovirus types 40 and 41 can cause gastroenteritis in infants and young children (under 4 years old), causing abdominal pain and diarrhea. Group C adenoviruses can cause intussusception in some infants and young children.