Molecular Characterization of New Recombinant Human Adenoviruses Detected in Children with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Beijing, China, 2022-2023.

Yi Nan GUO; Ri DE; Fang Ming WANG; Zhen Zhi HAN; Li Ying LIU; Yu SUN; Yao YAO; Xiao Lin MA; Shuang LIU; Chunmei ZHU; Dong QU; Lin Qing ZHAO

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Molecular Characterization of New Recombinant Human Adenoviruses Detected in Children with Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Beijing, China, 2022-2023.

Author: Yi Nan GUO ¹ ; Ri DE ¹ ; Fang Ming WANG ² ; Zhen Zhi HAN ¹ ; Li Ying LIU ¹ ; Yu SUN ¹ ; Yao YAO ¹ ; Xiao Lin MA ² ; Shuang LIU ³ ; Chunmei ZHU ² ; Dong QU ³ ; Lin Qing ZHAO ¹
Author Information

1. Laboratory of Virology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Etiology of Viral Diseases in Children, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing 100020, China.
2. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Capital Health Center for Children's Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China.
3. Department of Critical Care Medicine, Capital Health Center for Children's Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Acute respiratory tract infections; Children; Human adenovirus; Recombination
MeSH: Humans; Adenoviruses, Human/isolation & purification*; Respiratory Tract Infections/epidemiology*; Child, Preschool; Child; Recombination, Genetic; Male; Beijing/epidemiology*; Infant; Female; Phylogeny; Adenovirus Infections, Human/epidemiology*; Acute Disease; Genome, Viral
From: Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(9):1071-1081
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: OBJECTIVE:Recombination events are common and serve as the primary driving force of diverse human adenovirus (HAdV), particularly in children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs). Therefore, continual monitoring of these events is essential for effective viral surveillance and control.
METHODS:Respiratory specimens were collected from children with ARIs between January 2022 and December 2023. The penton base, hexon, and fiber genes were amplified from HAdV-positive specimens and sequenced to determine the virus type. In cases with inconsistent typing results, genes were cloned into the pGEM-T vector to detect recombination events. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) was performed to characterize the recombinant HAdV genomes.
RESULTS:Among 6,771 specimens, 277 (4.09%, 277/6,771) were positvie for HAdV, of which 157 (56.68%, 157/277) were successfully typed, with HAdV-B3 being the dominant type (91.08%, 143/157), and 14 (5.05%, 14/277) exhibited inconsistent typing results, six of which belonged to species B. The penton base genes of these six specimens were classified as HAdV-B7, whereas their hexon and fiber genes were classified as HAdV-B3, resulting in a recombinant genotype designated P7H3F3, which closely resembled HAdV-B114. Additionally, a partial gene encoding L1 52/55 kD was identified, which originated from HAdV-B16.
CONCLUSION:A novel recombinant, P7H3F3, was identified, containing sequences derived from HAdV-B3 and HAdV-B7, which is similar to HAdV-B114, along with additional sequences from HAdV-B16.