Molecular detection of the entire spectrum of human adenoviruses by a two-reaction RQ-PCR assay

Adenoviruses (AdV) can cause life-threatening infections in immunosuppressed patients, particularly in the allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) setting. Reliable diagnostic tests, covering the entire spectrum of the currently known 51 human AdV serotypes, are therefore of paramount importance. We have recently published a five-reaction real-time (RQ-) PCR assay detecting the AdV species A-F, and have demonstrated its ability to predict disseminated AdV disease. However, for routine diagnostic purposes it was desirable to develop a more economic approach to reducing cost and labor. We have sequenced presuma…