Outbreak of adenovirus type 55 infection in Israel

•Adenovirus 55 outbreak in psychiatric institutions in Israel.•Patients and staff members were infected.•Disease severity is increased in psychiatric patients.

BackgroundDifferent types of adenoviruses are associated with diverse diseases and with varied disease severity. Adenovirus 55 could be associated with severe respiratory infections.ObjectivesHere, we report on an adenovirus 55 outbreak in two psychiatric institutions in Israel. The objective of this study was to investigate the adenovirus 55 outbreak.Study designWe studied the clinical parameters of the patients and sequencing analysis of certain parts of the virus gene was performed.ResultsWe identified the first patient who developed symptoms (the index case) and we showed that while both patients and staff members of the institutions were infected, the disease in the psychiatric patients was more severe. We attributed these differences to their mental and underlying health conditions.ConclusionsIt is important to monitor for adenovirus infection in the community, especially in mental health institutions to allow appropriate medical care.