Development of a PCR-Based Assay for Detection, Quantification, and Genotyping of

disease in immunosuppressed patients, particularly those undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation. A method for virus quantification in clinical specimens is essential for monitoring patient adenoviral loads and evaluating new therapeutic approaches. Methods: We developed a PCR-based assay that com-bines detection and genotyping of human AdVs, target-ing a highly conserved region of the adenoviral genome coding for DNA polymerase (AdV DPol PCR). We tested the diagnostic applicability of this PCR-based assay by analyzing 159 clinical specimens from children with respiratory disease and comparing the results with those obtained by nested PCR analysis. Results: The PCR assay detected all currently known AdV serotypes, with a detection limit of 10 genom