Comparative analysis between genotypes of adenovirus isolates from hospitalized children with acute respiratory tract infections and clinical manifestations in Wuhan, China, from June 2022 to September 2023

Acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children worldwide. Human adenovirus (HAdV) infections are estimated to account for at least 5% of pediatric ARTIs. The circulated genotypes of HAdV and the correlation between genotype and clinical manifestations in Wuhan, China, before and after the complete relaxation of nonpharmaceutical interventions against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, remain unknown. Here, 101 HAdV strains were isolated from throat swab samples collected from hospitalized children with ARTIs who tested positive for HAdV nucleic acid. Of these, sixty-six strains from 2022 to twenty-three strains from 2023 were successfully genotyped and subjected to phylogenetic analysis based on the hexon, penton base, and fiber genes. Six genotypes, B3, C1, C2, C5, C104, and C108 were identified. HAdV-B3 (84.85%) was the most prevalent type in 2022, while HAdV-C (86.96%), including C1, C2, C108, and C104, was the most prevalent in 2023. These strains were phylogenetically related to strains from Japan, China, and the United States in recent years. When comparing clinical characteristics, pediatric patients infected with B3, C1, C2, C5, C104, or C108 exhibited similar clinical manifestations, primarily fever and cough, but varying interleukin (IL)-10 levels. In conclusion, from June 2022 to September 2023, the circulated genotypes of HAdV in Wuhan included B3, C1, C2, C108, C5, and C104. The endemic pattern of HAdV in Wuhan, China, shifted from species B as the dominant type in 2022 to species C in 2023.