Epidemiological characteristics and influencing factors of adenovirus-associated acute conjunctivitis in Shenzhen，2014‒2022

Objective To investigate the epidemic characteristics and influencing factors of acute conjunctivitis caused by human adenovirus（HAdv）in Yantian District of Shenzhen City， Guangdong Province from 2014 to 2022， and to provide evidence for formulating effective prevention and control measures.

Methods Descriptive epidemiology was used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis （AHC） cases reported from the Chinese disease prevention and control information system. Etiological characteristics of laboratory-confirmed cases were analyzed， and a case-control study method of test-negative design （TND） was conducted as well. According to the result of HAdv detection， analysis was used to identify the influencing factors of morbidity.

Results A total of 1 005 AHC cases were reported in Yantian District， Shenzhen City from 2014 to 2022， with an average annual incidence rate of 49.49/10⁵. The incidence rate ranged from 4.67/10⁵ to 117.28/10⁵. The peak incidence occurred from July to October each year， with a male-to-female ratio of 1.42∶1. The median （P₂₅，P₇₅） age of onset was 29（12，40） years. A total of 716 eye swabs were collected for etiological detection from 2014 to 2022. HAdv positive detection rate was 36.45% （263/716）， Cox 24v positive detection rate was 0.28% （2/716）， while EV70 was not detected. The longest viral shedding time in eye swabs was 10 days， with a median of 2 days. The highest HAdv positive detection rate （47.47%） was observed when the sampling-to-onset interval was 4‒5 days， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）， with a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. Multivariate logistic regressing analysis showed that aged 18‒ years， and average temperature higher than 24.90 ℃ 3 days before onset （P<0.05） were the risk factors for acute HAdv conjunctivitis.

Conclusion AHC in Yantian District， Shenzhen City showed a low level of prevalence from 2014 to 2022， with HAdv being the predominant pathogen. The peak period of viral shedding occurred on the 4th to 5th day after symptom onset， suggesting the importance of adherence to strict home isolation for infected persons. Aged 18‒ years and average temperature increased 3 days before onset are associated with an increased risk of adenoviral conjunctivitis. It is recommended to strengthen personal protection and keep doing a good job of AHC surveillance and early warning， so as to timely prevent the outbreaks of AHC.