Genetic analysis of human adenovirus type 108 circulating in China during 2014-2024

Jinjin Wang; Ling Jing; Yali Duan; Junhong Ai; Yun Zhu; Ran Wang; Xiangpeng Chen; Gen Lu; Yun Sun; Changchong Li; Rong Jin; Yunxiao Shang; Yixiao Bao; Shuhua An; Yunlian Zhou; Limin Ning; Baoping Xu; Yuhai Bi; Zhengde Xie

doi:10.1016/j.virs.2025.09.002

October 2025

Citation: Jinjin Wang, Ling Jing, Yali Duan, Junhong Ai, Yun Zhu, Ran Wang, Xiangpeng Chen, Gen Lu, Yun Sun, Changchong Li, Rong Jin, Yunxiao Shang, Yixiao Bao, Shuhua An, Yunlian Zhou, Limin Ning, Baoping Xu, Yuhai Bi, Zhengde Xie. Genetic analysis of human adenovirus type 108 circulating in China during 2014-2024 .VIROLOGICA SINICA, 2025, 40(5) : 694-709. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.virs.2025.09.002

Genetic analysis of human adenovirus type 108 circulating in China during 2014-2024

Jinjin Wang ^a ,
Ling Jing ^b ,
Yali Duan ^a ,
Junhong Ai ^a ,
Yun Zhu ^a ,
Ran Wang ^a ,
Xiangpeng Chen ^a ,
Gen Lu ^c ,
Yun Sun ^d ,
Changchong Li ^e ,
Rong Jin ^f ,
Yunxiao Shang ^g ,
Yixiao Bao ^h ,
Shuhua An ⁱ ,
Yunlian Zhou ^j ,
Limin Ning ^k ,
Baoping Xu ^l ,
Yuhai Bi ^m,n,o ,
Zhengde Xie ^{a
,,}

a. Beijing Key Laboratory of Core Technologies for the Prevention and Treatment of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Children, Key Laboratory of Major Diseases in Children, Ministry of Education, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Research Unit of Critical Infection in Children, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU016, Laboratory of Infection and Virology, Beijing Pediatric Research Institute, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, 100045, China;
b. Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 102629, China;
c. Department of Respiratory, GuangZhou Women and Children's Medical Center, GuangZhou, 510623, China;
d. Department of General Pediatrics, Yinchuan Women and Children Healthcare Hospital, Yinchuan, 750002, China;
e. Department of Respiratory, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China;
f. Department of Respiratory, Guiyang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Guiyang, 550003, China;
g. Department of Pediatric Respiratory, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110004, China;
h. Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China;
i. Children's Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050031, China;
j. The Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310052, China;
k. Children's Hospital of Changchun, Changchun, 130061, China;
l. National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing, 100045, China;
m. College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, 030801, China;
n. CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), CAS-TWAS Center of Excellence for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEEID), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, 100101, China;
o. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

Corresponding author: Zhengde Xie, xiezhengde@bch.com.cn
Received Date: 17 April 2025
Accepted Date: 11 September 2025
Available online: 19 September 2025

Abstract

Human adenovirus type 108 (HAdV-108) has been detected in multiple countries, including China, and is associated with severe acute respiratory infection (ARI) in children, with reported fatalities. However, studies on HAdV-108 remain limited. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and genetic characteristics of HAdV-108 in ARI children in China. From 2014 to 2024, 6720 respiratory samples were collected from hospitalized children with ARI at ten hospitals across northern and southern China, of which 505 (7.51%) tested positive for HAdV. The whole-genome and three major capsid protein genes were amplified and sequenced for bioinformatics analysis, which revealed that among 317 HAdV-isolated samples, 21 (6.62%) were identified as HAdV-108, ranking third after HAdV-114 and HAdV-7. Clinical analysis of HAdV-108-positive cases showed that the main manifestations were cough and fever. Seven children had gastrointestinal symptoms, and two children without underlying diseases were diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Phylogenetic analysis of whole-genome sequences revealed distinct predominant epidemic branches between domestic and international strains, with one strain obtained in this study forming an independent branch. Hexon protein exhibited the fastest evolution rate, lowest identity, and greatest amino acid variability, while fiber protein displayed the slowest evolution rate, highest identity, and greatest conservation and stability. Compared with the earliest reported HAdV-108 strain, three amino acid deletions were identified in the RGD loop region of penton base protein, resulting in potential structural change. Recombination analysis identified five distinct recombination patterns. In vitro experiments demonstrated that HAdV-108 had proliferation capacity comparable to other species C adenoviruses. In summary, HAdV-108 has persistently circulated in China, causing severe ARIs and concurrent gastrointestinal manifestations. Cluster3 was the predominant epidemic branch in China. HAdV-108 exhibited significant intra-type genetic variation, with random and diverse recombination events.
- Human adenovirus type 108 (HAdV-108)
- , Acute respiratory infection (ARI)
- , Clinical characteristics
- , Genetic characteristics
- , Children

Electronic Supplementary Material

10.1016j.virs.2025.09.002-ESM1.docx
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