Association of Adenovirus Type 8 with Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis

Infection with adenovirus Type 8 appears to be regularly associated with clinical epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). 1-5 Jawetz et al. 1 isolated the prototype of this virus in 1955. Since that time, isolations of nine strains have been reported 4 to June, 1957, eight from clinical and one from an unidentified conjunctivitis which may have been an form of EKC. Six of the nine strains were isolated from in Japan, five by us and one by Tanaka. 5 In the present study answers were sought to the following questions: 1. What is the best technique for isolation of adenovirus Type 8? 2. How often can it be isolated from clinical EKC? 3. How long after onset can it be isolated from active cases of EKC? 4. Is infantile EKC also regularly associated with infection by adenovirus Type 8? (The form of was first described by Mitsui