Case presentation: persistent adenovirus B3 infections associated with bronchiolitis obliterans treated with cidofovir in a child with mosaic tetrasomy 9p

Background Adenoviruses (AdV) are non-enveloped, double-stranded DNA viruses with multiple serotypes, which cause a variety of end-organ disease in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Some adenoviruses can become latent in the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (e.g. adenoids and tonsils), with the potential to reactivate sporadically, leading to upper or lower respiratory tract infection and disease. Bronchiolitis Obliterans (BO) is a rare chronic lung disorder which usually follows a severe insult to the respiratory tract. In children, it is a complication of severe infections (as post-infectious BO), typically manifesting after a severe respiratory infection, in previously healthy pre-school children. Symptoms and signs of air trapping (hyperinflated chest, expiratory wheeze) with persistent oxygen requirement are characteristic. The presence of the unusual mosaic tetrasomy 9p genotype in this case, despite standard cidofovir therapy for persistent or chronic adenovirus infection, may have impacted on the child’s long-term clinical outcomes.