skip to main content
Back to search results

Adenovirus (Types 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7)

Adenovirus (Types 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7)

MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET – INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCES

SECTION I – INFECTIOUS AGENT

NAME: Adenovirus types 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7

SYNONYM OR CROSS REFERENCE: ARD, acute respiratory disease, pharyngoconjunctival fever

CHARACTERISTICS: Adenoviridae; non-enveloped, icosahedral virions, 70-90 nm diameter, doubled-stranded, linear DNA genome.

SECTION II – HEALTH HAZARD

PATHOGENICITY: Varies in clinical manifestation and severity; symptoms include fever, rhinitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, cough and conjunctivitis; common cause of nonstreptococcal exudative pharyngitis among children under 3 years; more severe diseases include laryngitis, croup, bronchiolitis, or severe pneumonia; a syndrome of pharyngitis and conjunctivitis (pharyngoconjunctival fever) is associated with adenovirus infection

EPIDEMIOLOGY: Worldwide; seasonal in temperate regions, with highest incidences in the fall, winter and early spring; in tropical areas, infections are common in the wet and colder weather; annual incidence is particularly high in children; adenovirus types 4 and 7 are common among military recruits (ARD)

HOST RANGE: Humans

INFECTIOUS DOSE: >150 plaque forming units when given intranasally

MODE OF TRANSMISSION: Directly by oral contact and droplet spread; indirectly by handkerchiefs, eating utensils and other articles freshly soiled with respiratory discharge of an infected person; outbreaks have been related to swimming pools; possible spread through the fecal-oral route

INCUBATION PERIOD: From 1-10 days

COMMUNICABILITY: Shortly prior to and for the duration of the active disease

SECTION III – DISSEMINATION

RESERVOIR: Humans

ZOONOSIS: None

VECTORS: None

SECTION IV – VIABILITY

DRUG SUSCEPTIBILITY: No specific antiviral available; cidofovir has shown promise in the treatment of adenoviral ocular infections.

SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISINFECTANTS: Susceptible to 1% sodium hypochlorite, 2% glutaraldehyde, 0.25% sodium dodecyl sulfate

PHYSICAL INACTIVATION: Sensitive to heat>56°C; unusually stable to chemical or physical agents and adverse pH conditions

SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: Resistance to chemical and physical agents allows for prolonged survival outside of the body. Adenovirus type 3 survived up to 10 days on paper under ambient conditions; adenovirus type 2 survived from 3-8 weeks on environmental surfaces at room temperature

SECTION V – MEDICAL

SURVEILLANCE: Monitor for symptoms; confirm by serological analysis

FIRST AID/TREATMENT: Mainly supportive therapy

IMMUNIZATION: Vaccine available for adenovirus types 4 and 7 (used for military recruits)

PROPHYLAXIS: None available

SECTION VI – LABORATORY HAZARDS

LABORATORY-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS: Ten cases documented up to 1988

SOURCES/SPECIMENS: Respiratory secretions

PRIMARY HAZARDS: Ingestion; droplet exposure of the mucous membrane

SPECIAL HAZARDS: Contact with feces from infected animals

SECTION VII – RECOMMENDED PRECAUTIONS

CONTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS: Biosafety level 2 practices and containment facilities for all activities involving the virus and potentially infectious body fluids or tissues

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING: Laboratory coat; gloves when skin contact with infectious materials is unavoidable

OTHER PRECAUTIONS: None

SECTION VIII – HANDLING INFORMATION

SPILLS: Allow aerosols to settle; wearing protective clothing gently cover the spill with absorbent paper towel and apply 1% sodium hypochlorite starting at the perimeter and working towards the centre; allow sufficient contact time (30 min) before clean up

DISPOSAL: Decontaminate all wastes before disposal; steam sterilization, incineration, chemical disinfection

STORAGE: In sealed containers that are appropriately labelled

SECTION IX – MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Date prepared: November 1999

Prepared by: Office of Laboratory Security, PHAC

Although the information, opinions and recommendations contained in this Material Safety Data Sheet are compiled from sources believed to be reliable, we accept no responsibility for the accuracy, sufficiency, or reliability or for any loss or injury resulting from the use of the information. Newly discovered hazards are frequent and this information may not be completely up to date.

Copyright © Health Canada, 2001

This MSDS / PSDS document, provided by Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), is offered here as a FREE public service to visitors of www.EHS.com. As outlined in this site’s Terms of Use, VelocityEHS is not responsible for the accuracy, content or any aspect of the information contained therein.


Need an SDS? Search our entire SDS database containing millions of documents.