The prevalence of adenoviral conjunctivitis at the Wills Eye Hospital Emergency Room

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of adenoviral conjunctivitis by analyzing data from a prospective clinical study of 50 consecutive patients presenting to the Wills Eye Hospital Emergency Room (WEH ER) with a clinical diagnosis of infectious conjunctivitis from July 2003 to October 2003.

Methods: The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to evaluate all cases of clinically diagnosed infectious conjunctivitis. Based on the laboratory findings, the prevalence of adenovirus was determined.

Results: Of the 50 consecutive patients with acute infectious conjunctivitis, 31 patients were PCR positive for adenovirus.

Conclusions: The prevalence of adenoviral conjunctivitis was found by PCR to represent 62% of all patients presenting with a clinical diagnosis of infectious conjunctivitis from July 2003 to October 2003.