RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To determine the adenovirus serotype in Mexican patients with folicular conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis. METHODS: Adenovirus-specific PCR was used to analyze sample scrapings from the inferior fornix of patients with follicular conjunctivitis and clinical suspicion of adenovirus from January 2005 to December 2006. Identification of the serotype was made by automated sequencing. The nucleotide sequences obtained were compared with the reported sequences in GenBank. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed on the results. RESULTS: Of the 77 samples with clinical data of follicular conjunctivitis that were analyzed, 43 (56%) presented adenovirus. The sequencing of each positive sample allowed the identification of Ad1, Ad2, Ad3 and Ad8; the sequences of the serotype were identical those reported in GenBank with accession numbers: AF 534906 and AY 224420 for a sequence of the gene coding for the filament of Ad1 and Ad2 respectively, and AY 854180 and DQ 149614 for a sequence of the gene that codes for the Hexon protein of Ad3 and Ad8 respectively. From the statistical analysis it was possible to determine that a preferential seasonality of the serotype does not exist. CONCLUSION: In this work the Ad1, Ad2 and Ad3 serotypes were identified in patients with clinical diagnosis of follicular conjunctivitis in 2005. Ad2 was the predominant serotype. Ad8 was also detected in an outbreak of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis. From an epidemiological point of view, no serotype found seems to have a preferred seasonality.