OBJECTIVETo understand the characteristics of adenovirus infection in hospitalized children with pneumonia in Guangzhou area.

METHODSThe infection rate, hospitalization time and hospitalization expenses of adenovirus-infected hospitalized children with pneumonia in Guangzhou area from 2005 to 2007 were analyzed.

RESULTSThe total adenovirus infection rate was 6.04% in these children, with a male to female ratio of 1.47:1, showing significantly higher infection rate in female (7.92%) than in male patients (5.21%, P<0.05). The hospital stay and hospitalization costs between male and female children showed no significant difference (P>0.05). Adenovirus-infected children from birth to six years old accounted for 90.50% of the total adenovirus-infected children, and the infection rate in 0 to 1-year-old children (3.71%) was significantly lower than that in elder children (P<0.05). Although the infection rate in winter (8.44%) was significantly higher than that in the other seasons (P<0.05), the cases from March to August accounted for 60.11% of the total infected cases. Furthermore, the infection rate in 2007 (4.31%) was significantly lower than that in 2005 and 2006 (7.11% and 6.71%, respectively, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONAdenovirus infection is an important pathogen in hospitalized children with pneumonia in Guangzhou area, and the infection rates differed between gender, age, season and the years.