Outbreak of adenovirus type 30 in a neonatal intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVES: To describe an outbreak of adenovirus, type 30, in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective, observational study.

RESULTS: An outbreak of adenovirus infection occurred in an NICU. It lasted 6 months and involved 21 of 333 (6.3%) infants. The introduction of infection control measures controlled the outbreak; however, premature discontinuation of the measures resulted in a second wave of cases. The virus caused pneumonia in 7 infants, conjunctivitis in 7 infants, pneumonia and conjunctivitis in 1 infant, and upper respiratory tract illness in 1 infant. Infection was asymptomatic in 5 infants. Six infants died. Death was associated with the presence of pneumonia ( P = .0001), administration of steroids ( P = .003), and mechanical ventilation ( P = .02). Investigation into the origin of the outbreak suggested that the virus may have been introduced and spread during ophthalmologic procedures.

CONCLUSIONS: Adenovirus type 30 can cause severe disease among premature infants in an NICU. Infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia requiring mechanical ventilation are more likely to have development of adenovirus pneumonia and die. Standard infection control measures are effective in controlling an outbreak. Ophthalmologic procedures continue to be a potential source of adenovirus outbreaks.