All issues > Volume 47(12); 2004

Original Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2004;47(12):1300-1305. Published online December 15, 2004.

Prevalence of Antibodies against Adenoviruses in Korean Children and Adults

Hyun Oh HO Jang¹, Jin A JA Lee², Nam Hee NH Kim², Eun Hee EH Chung³, Hoan Jong HJ Lee²

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Inje University, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
³Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Eun Hee EH Chung ,Email: ehchung@dankook.ac.kr

Abstract

Purpose
: Adenoviruses(Ads) are responsible for approximately 10 percent of lower respiratory tract infections(LRTIs) in children. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies (Abs) against common serotypes of Ads in Korean children and adults.
Methods
: The sera were tested for neutralizing Abs against Ad serotypes 1 through 7 and 21 with a colorimetric microneutralization assay employing A549 cells. Sera that neutralized 100 TCID50 of specific types of Ad at 1 : 10 dilution were considered positive.
Results
: Two hundred and thirty seven sera(155 children, 82 adults) were tested. Generally, Ab prevalences were high in infants under 6 months of age, decreased in 6-12 months of age and then increased gradually thereafter. By 4-7 years of age, more than 70 percent of children had Abs against Ad types 1-5 and more than 50 percent had Abs against type 6, and the prevalences of Abs in adults against these types were more than 70 percent. Only against types 7 and 21, Abs were found in less than one quarters of the children. Ab prevalence for Ad 7 was less than 50 percent by 35 years and then jumped to 80 percent, which presumably reflects previous outbreaks of Ad 7 more than 30 years ago. Ab prevalence against type 21 was less than 50 percent throughout adulthood.
Conclusion
: An age-specific increase in antibody prevalence was observed to the common Ads in Korea. We expect these data to be the basis to determine the ages and serotypes of future Ads vaccines by defining the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to the common Ads.

Keywords :Adenovirus, Antibody, Epidemiology