The virus, which can cause severe and sometimes fatal lung disease, has caused at least 140 illnesses in New York, Oregon, Washington and Texas, according to a report issued Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Though Adenoviruses usually cause respiratory infections that aren't considered lethal but a new variant is proving to be deadly. However, is still recommending any new precautions for the general public.
Dr. Larry Anderson, a CDC epidemiologist told the Associated Press, "It's an uncommon infection."
The illness was first reported in Texas earlier this year, when so-called boot camp flu sickened hundreds at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The most serious cases were blamed on the emerging virus and one 19-year-old trainee died.
The new strain, dubbed Ad14, also caused the death of a 12-day-old New York girl in May 2006. Then, between March and June 2007, the federal agency identified clusters of patients with the disease in Oregon, Texas and Washington.
To date, there has been no evidence of a direct transmission of the illness from the New York infant's death and these other cases. The Washington State cases were reported by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in May, Seattle Pi reports.
The youngest patient was 40, the oldest 62. All four were smokers, one had AIDS, and the other three were suffering from lung disease.
So far scientists have identified more than 50 distinct types of adenoviruses tied to human illnesses. They are one cause of the common cold, and also trigger pneumonia and bronchitis. Severe illnesses are more likely in people with weaker immune systems.
