Invasive adenoviral infection in a recipient of unrelated bone marrow transplantation: Problems with diagnostic PCR

A hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) recipient developed severe diarrhea and fever. A rapid test for the presence of adenovirus (AdV)‐specific antigen in the patient's stools was positive; however, AdV genome was not detected by conventional or real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). AdV was confirmed by specific PCR for AdV serotype 7 and by an AdV hexon/fiber gene DNA sequence homology search of the PCR product. We suspect that conventional/real‐time PCR failed to detect AdV due to nine silent single base substitutions in the extracted AdV genome. Treatment with 1 mg/kg cidofovir (CDV) intravenously three times a week was effective. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.