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CASE REPORT article

Front. Med.

Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1524783

Severe adenovirus pneumonia complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome in immunocompetent patients: a case report and literature review

Provisionally accepted
Lei Zhang Lei Zhang 1Guo Yuxin Guo Yuxin 2Xudong Wang Xudong Wang 1Wei Gai Wei Gai 2*Lina Liu Lina Liu 1*
  • 1 aerospace center hospitol, Beijing, China
  • 2 WillingMed Technology (Beijing) Co.Ltd, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Human adenovirus (HAdV) is one of the most important pathogens detected in acute respiratory illness in pediatric and immunocompromised patients, but it is relatively rare to develop severe pneumonia in immunocompetent patients. We analyzed the clinical features, as well as the diagnosis and treatment processes, to provide a reference for clinical practice.Case presentation: We report a case of severe pneumonia caused by HAdV, complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in an immunocompetent patient with no underlying conditions. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed consolidation in the right lower lung. Conventional microbial tests were negative, but metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) identified a large number of HAdV sequences in blood and sputum. Together with the clinical symptoms, this confirmed the diagnosis of severe pneumonia caused by HAdV. The patient was discharged after timely treatment with cidofovir.Conclusion: In our study, we described a rare case of severe pneumonia caused by HAdV, complicated by ARDS, in an immunocompetent patient. mNGS proves to be an effective diagnostic tool for guiding treatment decisions.

    Keywords: Human adenovirus, Pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, metagenomic next-generation sequencing, Treatment

    Received: 08 Nov 2024; Accepted: 21 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Yuxin, Wang, Gai and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Wei Gai, WillingMed Technology (Beijing) Co.Ltd, Beijing, China
    Lina Liu, aerospace center hospitol, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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