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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 2003, p. 810-812, Vol. 41, No. 2
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.2.810-812.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Rapid Detection of Adenovirus in Throat Swab Specimens by PCR during Respiratory Disease Outbreaks among Military Recruits
Marcela Echavarria,1 Jose L. Sanchez,2 Shellie A. Kolavic-Gray,2 Christina S. Polyak,2 Felicia Mitchell-Raymundo,1 Bruce L. Innis,1 David Vaughn,1 Richard Reynolds,3 and Leonard N. Binn1*
Department of Virus Diseases, Division of Communicable Diseases and Immunology,1
Division of Preventive Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring,3
U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland2
Received 15 March 2002/
Returned for modification 18 May 2002/
Accepted 27 November 2002
We evaluated the performance of a generic PCR test to detect adenoviruses (AdV) in throat swab specimens collected from asymptomatic and ill military recruits with acute respiratory disease. Samples (n = 210) were collected at entry to basic training and at the time of large outbreaks of AdV-associated acute respiratory disease among military recruits at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, from 1997 to 1998. Compared to cell culture, a sensitivity of 99% and a specificity of 98% were noted for the PCR method to detect AdV in throat swabs. Similar results were obtained with or without DNA extraction, suggesting the absence of significant inhibitors for the PCR method in throat swab samples. No AdV was detected by culture or PCR in throat swabs from healthy recruits, suggesting the absence of latency or asymptomatic shedding. Throat swab specimens proved to be adequate, noninvasive samples to rapidly diagnose respiratory disease in young adults. This generic direct PCR proved to be a useful test for the rapid diagnosis of AdV-associated respiratory disease, detecting all serotypes tested to date and furnishing results within 6 h of specimen arrival. The use of this direct, rapid, sensitive, and specific assay would assist health care providers and public health practitioners in the early diagnosis, management, and control of AdV-associated respiratory disease.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Virus Diseases, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910. Phone: (301) 319-9045. Fax: (301) 319-9661. E-mail:
leonard.binn{at}na.amedd.army.mil.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 2003, p. 810-812, Vol. 41, No. 2
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.2.810-812.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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