Reye's syndrome associated with adenovirus infections in infants
K. M. Edwards, S. R. Bennett, W. L. Garner, D. L. Bratton, A. D. Glick, H. L. Greene and P. F. Wright
The isolation of adenovirus from the liver of an infant with Reye's
syndrome prompted a retrospective review to determine the role of this
group of viruses in the cause of Reye's syndrome. A total of 34 patients
with Reye's syndrome who were admitted to Vanderbilt University, Nashville,
Tenn, during a ten-year period were identified. Six of the patients were
younger than 1 year, and positive adenoviral cultures and increased
serological responses were obtained in three of these children. The
clinical and pathologic data from these three children suggest that
adenovirus may be an important agent in initiating Reye's syndrome in the
very young child. Further, the mitochondrial abnormalities present in the
livers of the patients with adenovirus-associated disease tended to be mild
in spite of severe clinical disease.