Adenovirus (Ad) isolates from a large number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals were compared serologically and genetically with Ad isolates from immunocompetent patients. Between 1982 and 1994, stool and urine samples from 137 subjects with AIDS hospitalized in The Netherlands yielded 143 Ad strains. Forty additional Ad strains were obtained from 35 HIV-positive patients in Manchester, United Kingdom, in 1992 and 1993. Of these 183 HIV-associated Ad strains, 84% belonged to species D and 3% belonged to species C. These strains were compared with 2,301 Ad strains collected during general diagnostic examinations in The Netherlands from 1973 to 1992. Of the latter strains, 5% belonged to species D and 49% belonged to species C. Two of the Ads isolated from fecal specimens of AIDS patients represent new serotypes: candidate Ad serotype 50 (prototype strain, Wan) of subspecies B1 and candidate Ad serotype 51 (prototype strain, Bom) of species D. The DNA restriction enzyme patterns of strains Wan and Bom differed from the patterns of all established prototypes.

Monoclonal antibody (MAb) preparations specific for the enteric adenoviruses of subgenus F (AdF) were generated and evaluated as typing reagents in virus neutralization tests and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). A panel of 11 genome types of adenovirus 40 (Ad40), 24 genome types of Ad4l, and 47 adenovirus prototype strains was used to determine the specificities of the MAbs in the two assays. In this way two MAbs, MAb 40-1 (anti-Ad40) and MAb 41-1 (anti-Ad4l) were selected. These two MAbs showed strict type

Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) is a highly contagious adenoviral ocular infection which can occur in outbreaks and is predominantly caused by adenovirus type 8 (Ad8). Detection and typing of this virus after isolation is generally by serum neutralisation or more complex molecular techniques. These methods can be time consuming particularly during outbreaks. Therefore, an Ad8 specific antigen capture enzyme immunosorbent assay (EIA) was developed as a rapid and cost effective diagnostic method for laboratories. An Ad8 type-specific monoclonal antibody was used in a direct antigen capture method and an anti-hapten fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-anti-FITC system. Assay configuration studies indicate that the system in which a type specific capture antibody and a group specific detector antibody are used provides greater sensitivity to the assay than a system using a group specific monoclonal or polyclonal capture antibody. Also, this allows the use of the same detector antibody with varying type specific capture antibodies on the solid phase. In a preliminary evaluation of the two formats, the direct antigen capture assay and the FITC-anti-FITC system had a sensitivity of 98.75% and 100%, respectively, with a specificity of 100%. However, these results are not statistically significant due to the low numbers of Ad8 and other viral isolates obtained from eye swabs. The direct EIA format has been shown to be able to detect different Ad8 genome types including four isolated from four epidemics of EKC in Brest, France, the Ad8 prototype strain, and some DNA-variant isolates which had not been typed by restriction endonuclease analysis (REA).