Fatal adenovirus infection in a neonate and transmission to health-care workers.

Background: Human adenovirus (HAdV) infections, while common in infancy and childhood, occur rarely in the neonatal period but may be fatal.

Objectives: To describe a transmission of HAdV from a patient with fatal pneumonia to heath-care workers that could be considered as a model of respiratory virus transmission in a care unit.

Study Design: Case report with virologic studies.

Results: A 10-day-old neonate developed pneumonia with acute respiratory distress, external pulmonary bleeding and coagulopathy and died 36h after admission of multivisceral failure. An adenovirus was isolated from pulmonary biopsy and detected by PCR in blood and respiratory secretions. Ten days later, three members of medical staff in charge of this infant, who used neither masks nor glasses for close patient contact, developed keratoconjunctivitis. Molecular analysis of the infant's and one of the pediatrician's isolates identified a species D HAdv and showed 100% identity, thereby demonstrating viral transmission.

Conclusion: In view of the serious outcome, HAdV infections should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pneumonia in neonates. This case illustrates the epidemic potential of viruses with respiratory transmission and underlines the importance of complying with standard precautions to prevent viral spread in routine practice.