1. Outbreak of Acute Respiratory Illness Associated With Human Adenovirus Type 4 at the United States Coast Guard Academy, 2019
- Author
-
Stephen Lindstrom, Patrick Rockwell, Holly M. Biggs, Dana Thomas, Shane Steiner, Jeffrey Christopher, Christopher Janik, Marie L. Landry, Alan Siniscalchi, Xiaoyan Lu, Eileen Schneider, Sydney Jones, Robert Liu, Christopher Gardner, Lee Ann Ramsey, Glen R. Abedi, Susan I. Gerber, Stephanie A Kujawski, Esan Simon, Victoria T Chu, and Micah Gentile
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,030106 microbiology ,Population ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Disease Outbreaks ,Adenovirus Infections, Human ,03 medical and health sciences ,Young Adult ,0302 clinical medicine ,Adenovirus Vaccines ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Sore throat ,Immunology and Allergy ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,education ,Respiratory Tract Infections ,education.field_of_study ,Respiratory illness ,business.industry ,Medical record ,Adenoviruses, Human ,Outbreak ,United States ,Infectious Diseases ,Military Personnel ,Cadet ,Vaccine-preventable diseases ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Coast guard - Abstract
Background Although a human adenovirus (HAdV) vaccine is available for military use, officers-in-training are not routinely vaccinated. We describe an HAdV-associated respiratory outbreak among unvaccinated cadets at the US Coast Guard Academy and its impact on cadet training. Methods We defined a case as a cadet with new onset cough or sore throat during August 1–October 4, 2019. We reviewed medical records and distributed a questionnaire to identify cases and to estimate impact on cadet training. We performed real-time polymerase chain reaction testing on patient and environmental samples and whole genome sequencing on a subset of positive patient samples. Results Among the 1072 cadets, 378 (35%) cases were identified by medical records (n = 230) or additionally by the questionnaire (n = 148). Of the 230 cases identified from medical records, 138 (60%) were male and 226 (98%) had no underlying conditions. From questionnaire responses, 113 of 228 (50%) cases reported duty restrictions. Of cases with respiratory specimens, 36 of 50 (72%) were HAdV positive; all 14 sequenced specimens were HAdV-4a1. Sixteen (89%) of 18 environmental specimens from the cadet dormitory were HAdV-positive. Conclusions The HAdV-4-associated outbreak infected a substantial number of cadets and significantly impacted cadet training. Routine vaccination could prevent HAdV respiratory outbreaks in this population.
- Published
- 2021