New cold virus spreads fast in US

A killer virus is spreading fast in America and has already been registered in four major cities. The virus is an adenovirus type 14 or Ad14. This is a new strain of an old virus and different to the one that spread in 1955. It has so far has been reported in Oregon, Washington, New York City and Texas. 10 deaths have been registered out of the 140 cases registered.

"This particular [adenovirus] is unusual in that it can cause very severe illness in healthy young adults with no other medical condition. That is why this adenovirus stands out from the crowd," says John Su, who is CDC epidemic intelligence officer. Thus, this virus is proving to be a quite a bit of challenge.

Speculations about the spread of this virus to other states are being made. But Su was reluctant to comment on that. At the same time he suggested doctors across U.S. should take proper notice of severe cold problems if any.

"It is a germ that bears watching," said Su. "People have to be aware of this virus. It is becoming more common, and it does have the capability to cause severe illness in people of all ages. What puts people at risk of severe respiratory infection from Ad14 is not something we clearly understand yet."

His concerns are shared by Adenovirus expert Gregory C. Gray, director of the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases at the University of Iowa. "I think this Ad14 strain is a matter of concern," Gray said. "Something makes this unique. The question is what makes it cause outbreaks of severe disease. It's a bit of a mystery."

In May 2006, the first reports of this virus were submitted in New York City, where a 12 year old girl's death was reported to have occurred due to deep lung infection with Ad14. After that 30 people in Oregon and in Washington cases of four residents in a residential care facility had been registered. Of these four people, three were females and were aged between 40 and 62. They had been admitted to the hospital as they were suffering from pneumonia of an unknown origin.

In February 2007, recruits undergoing basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, got infected by adenovirus. 90% of the analyzed were reported of being infected with the virus. In 2001-2002, Ad14 was linked to an outbreak of respiratory adenoviral infections in the pediatric ward of a Taiwan hospital.

Investigators also tested 218 health care workers from the hospital units that treated the recruits; six were positive for Ad14. Five of the six had treated hospitalized Ad14 patients.

AD14 was first discovered in 1950’s. But this strain is very different from the earlier ones. The adenovirus incubation period is two to nine days. Different adenovirus strains behave differently, but outbreaks can be very damaging.

"The Ad14 strain we see here is genetically distinct from previous strains," said Su. "It is a variant of the virus never seen before."

Adenovirus spread is communicable as it spreads from person to person via aerosolized droplets in sneezes and coughs. It is also present in feces, and fecal-oral spread is common among young children.

Virus can very efficiently survive on contaminated surfaces. In summers swimming pool is one of the major infection sources. In winters also it’s very common and the detection is also not easy as most of the labs don’t have the apparatus to detect the infection by adenoviruses.

Su gave certain instructions for the health officers if they encountered infected people. "If health care providers see a patient with worsening symptoms like cough or runny nose or troubled breathing, they should send off a sample for testing," Su said. "If it is adenovirus, they should keep daily tabs on that patient until they turn the corner. That way, if they go downhill really fast -- which patients with Ad14 infection can do -- they can get the more intensive medical care they may need."